


Golden Beauty, Black Beast

by narcosleepy



Category: RWBY
Genre: Aged-Up Character(s), Alternate Universe - Dark, Angst and Hurt/Comfort, Beauty and the Beast Elements, Bumblebee - Freeform, Character Death, Dark, Dark Fairy Tale Elements, East of the Sun and West of the Moon Elements, Eros and Psyche Elements, Eventual Happy Ending, Eventual Smut, F/F, F/M, Heavy Angst, M/M, Multi, Politics, Trans Character
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2017-04-26
Updated: 2018-10-13
Packaged: 2018-10-24 04:06:19
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 73
Words: 108,824
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/10733778
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/narcosleepy/pseuds/narcosleepy
Summary: Yang Xiao Long is the golden-haired beauty of a small town, who would do anything for family- even take her sister's place in a castle in the middle of a Grimm-haunted woods to appease the strange dark woman who lives there.





	1. Qrow Comes Home

“SIS! GUESS WHO’S HERE!”

Yang turned from the jet-black stallion at her younger sister’s excited voice. There could only be one person showing up who could make Ruby so excited.

“Uncle Qrow!”

Ruby bounced into view excitedly, with their uncle not far behind, leading his own steed. Ruby’s black hair was bound into twin braids, the tips crimson. She wore a simple corseted black dress with a white shirt underneath. Qrow looked as he always did after his long journeys- covered in dust, hair scraggly, clothes worn, but with a happy fire in his red eyes. Yang set her curry comb down and wiped the horse dirt on her pants as she jogged up to the man.

“Uncle Qrow, it’s so good to see you! We missed you so much! Ruby was starting to get worried about you!” Yang laughed as she stood on her tiptoes to embrace the tall man.

“Sorry girls, you know what it’s like on the road. Grimm make traveling at night dangerous, though daytime’s not much better.” Qrow patted the hilt of the sword at his hip as Yang took the reins of his mare’s halter.

“So… How was it?” Yang asked, unbuckling the mare’s saddle.

“Dead end again, I’m afraid.” Yang let out a breath she hadn’t realized she was holding, and Ruby sent her an apologetic look. Qrow looked pensive, then continued, “I did get two more leads, and one of them… I’m afraid to investigate.”

Both sisters turned to their uncle.

“What do you mean?” Ruby asked slowly.

Qrow didn’t answer at first. “I’m sure it’s just another dead end. Come on Yang, help me brush down Stark. Ruby, get her some water and some oats, she’s had a long journey.”

The sisters exchanged a worried glance, then moved to assist their uncle.

\---

Dinner was ready by the time Taiyang came home. Ruby and Yang let Qrow help them out, showing them how to season meat with spices he had collected while on the road, tossing them together with vegetables from Ruby’s garden to make a hearty stew. Yang went to the baker’s in town and bought a dozen rolls, completing dinner.

“Qrow! It’s been nearly 7 months!” Taiyang brought his brother-in-law in for a hug and clapped him on the back before sitting down at the table.

“Well, you know me, I have to be as thorough as possible.” Qrow set the giant pot of stew down in the middle of the table while Ruby grabbed bowls and spoons, Yang placing the bread rolls into a basket for easy passing.

“How long do you think you’ll stay this time?” Ruby asked, handing him a bowl with a spoon clattering inside.

Qrow reached out and took the bowl thoughtfully. “Maybe a few days. My next two leads are both in the same direction, so I can probably get them both in 2 or 3 months. Be back in around 6 or so.”

Yang rolled her eyes. “Why don’t you stay longer? You can stay for at least a week, can’t you? We can’t drive you _that_ crazy, we’re just family.”

“Yeah, we’re _just family_!” Taiyang grinned devilishly as he spooned stew into his bowl. 

“So is Raven. Or have you forgot who I’m looking for already?” Qrow’s red eyes bored into Taiyang’s blue.

“We haven’t, Uncle Qrow. I want you to bring her home more than anyone.” Yang banged her fist on the table, making the silverware jump. She steadied her breathing as Qrow turned his red gaze on her. “But we miss you, too. It won’t kill you to stay for a week.”

Qrow held her gaze, then turned to Ruby. Ruby nodded in agreement. Qrow sighed.

“I suppose Stark needs to rest… and after all these years, Raven’s probably not going anywhere soon.”

“YES!” Ruby’s fists extended into the air in jubilation. Taiyang smiled. Yang let out a breath.

Yang didn’t remember her birth mother at all.

Qrow was the closest she had to Raven.

\---

“How long do you think we’ll have to wait?” Ruby whispered.

Yang shushed her. After dinner had ended and Qrow had finished regaling the girls with tales of his most recent travels, Taiyang shooed the two off to bed so that the adults could talk. Thinking her uncle might elaborate on his comment made about what he was afraid to investigate, Yang went without her characteristic fight, dragging Ruby upstairs.

The two girls sprawled on their stomachs at the top of the stairs, ears straining to hear the half of the conversation below- Qrow was a quiet man, but luckily Taiyang was not. By putting bits and pieces of what they heard Qrow say together with their father’s replies, it was relatively easy to understand the gist of the conversation.

So far, all they were discussing was boring adult stuff- Taiyang’s work in the lord’s stable, things happening in the village, how Ruby and Yang have been growing up so fast, but not a word of the conversation the girls wanted to hear.

“Ughhh… I’m too tired for this. I’m just going to bed.” Ruby quiety began to slither back towards her room, moving as to not disturb the floorboards. “Night Yang.”

“Night, Ruby.” Yang didn’t look away from the scene below.

It took another hour, but the conversation finally turned to the leads Qrow had gotten on his recent trip.

“Well? You’re heading south, but what’s the big deal?”

“… bad news…dangerous people…”

“There’s people like that everywhere, what makes these people so special?”

“… blood oaths… mysterious deaths… not even the lord of the area…”

“…That’s some heavy intel. Maybe you should just skip that one.”

“…this one… turns out… can’t just…”

“You’re a stubborn bastard, Qrow. Just promise you’ll come home.”

“Yeah.”

Yang rolled her eyes. So it was just a dangerous area? Yang may not have known much about Raven, but she knew that the woman had been forged in iron. Or steel. Which was stronger? She shook her head, scooting herself back on the floorboards toward her room.

Sometimes she wondered why she cared.

Raven clearly didn’t.


	2. The Trail

When morning came the next day, Taiyang flipped up a batch of pancakes for the family. While he didn’t cook very often, he was good at cooking breakfast foods, and his pancakes were melt-in-your-mouth delicious. Yang had tapped syrup from maples behind the house, and Ruby’s raspberries were ripe for the picking as they neared the end of their season. 

Breakfast chatter was quiet as the four woke up slowly, as Taiyang and Ruby were the only morning people. After finishing his own pancakes, Taiyang bid his farewells for the day and made his way to the stables to ride to the local lord’s castle, where he worked as the stable master.

“Why don’t we all go for a trail ride together?” Yang suggested. Her black stallion, Shadow, loved to go out on the trails. 

“I’ll have to pass.” Qrow reached for another pancake. “I’ve been trail riding for 7 months now, so I think I’ll take a break.”

Yang pouted, then turned to her sister. “Well Rubes, what about you?”

Ruby shook her head, braids flipping over her shoulders. “No, you always ride too fast for me. I’m going to prune down the raspberries so they don’t take over everything else next year, maybe read one of mom’s old fairy tale books.”

Yang nodded. She was talking about Summer, not Raven. Raven had given birth to Yang, then she mysteriously vanished. She and Taiyang hadn’t even been married, but it was obvious whose child Yang was, considering their matching golden hair… And the fact that Raven had cruelly left Yang bundled up on Taiyang’s doorstep for him to find come morning.

It had been Summer Rose, kind, sweet Summer, who had helped Taiyang out. The daughter of the dairy farmer, Summer brought Taiyang fresh milk for his daughter, helped him take care of Yang. His heart aching for Raven, Taiyang turned to the woman who gave him kindness when he needed it most- but he made sure to marry her before Ruby was born, just to be safe.

Summer and Taiyang never told Yang about Raven. Yang had always thought that Summer was her mother, like Ruby- and really, she was. Raven wasn’t her mother, Raven just gave birth to her.

But when Summer died, Qrow let it slip while in a drunken state. 

“No need for you to cry, Yang. She wasn’t really your mother, Raven was.”

Yang had only been 5 years old, and she was already shaken by Summers death. By her mother’s death. Qrow and Taiyang had a fight after that, and Qrow left. He didn’t come back for a year. That was when he began searching for Raven. It was his way of trying to make it up to Yang, she supposed.

In truth, she didn’t know if she cared or not. What would she say to Raven if she met her?

What was there to say?

\---

After mucking the pasture and setting Stark, Shadow, and Ruby’s horse out to pasture, Yang gathered up her things and got ready for a day-long trail ride. She tied up her hair into a messy ponytail and changed out of her stinky work clothes and into her nice riding gear. Last year, her sister had bought her a nice pair of brown riding boots, which Yang absolutely adored.

Yang saddled Shadow up with his favorite blanket and her favorite saddle and led him out of the stables, alone in her thoughts. She saw Qrow leave out of the corner of her eye, heading toward the village. Going to the bar, most likely. He tried to hide his drinking habits from his nieces, but Yang wasn’t as naïve as Ruby. She was 19, she knew what alcohol smelled like even if she never drank it.

After packing her saddlebag, Yang jammed her foot angrily in the stirrup and hoisted herself up, golden ponytail swishing across her back. Squeezing Shadow’s body with her legs, the stallion walked onward.

“Stupid… _drunk_.” Yang muttered, urging Shadow into a trot. Shadow snorted sassily, throwing his head back. The pair moved into the well-used trail, exploring the forest behind the house.

The trail was one that Taiyang himself had made when he decided to start offering trail rides to the rich nobles that passed through during festivals. It went into the forest, which sent a tingle of excitement through most, but it never went deep enough that anyone was in any real danger of Grimm. The farthest Taiyang’s trail went was to Wildcat Creek.

The farthest Yang’s trail went was twice that, to the Penumbra River.

Approaching the trail’s slow right curve by the creek, Yang patted the left side of Shadow’s neck, turning them on a familiar but less-traversed path. This took them across a short bridge, across which lie the rest of Yang’s trail. Had Ruby or Qrow come, she would have followed her father’s, but alone, she preferred her own.

The two walked on, the trail barely there. Shadow was stubborn, if there was a downed branch on the trail, he wouldn't just cross it, he would stand there and make Yang dismount and move the branch.

“Why are you so _sassy_?” Yang asked her steed, scratching his neck after removing the third branch from his path. “I know you can jump over them.” Shadow lifted his tail and excreted in response. Yang snorted and mounted, Shadow snorting back at her. She urged him onward, feces trailing behind.

As the sun crept closer to its zenith, Yang reached her favorite spot: a small clearing filled with wildflowers and bordering on a quiet part of the Penumbra itself. Yang dismounted and tied Shadow up by the water, removing the bridle, where he began to drink noisily. She reached into her pack on his saddle took out her snack, an apple and a roll from last night, along with a book she had been reading. As she crunched into the apple, Shadow looked up expectantly.

“Yeah, yeah, I brought one for you, too, you fatty.” She reached in again and grabbed a second apple, setting it on the ground and rolling it to the horse, not keen on losing her fingers. As the stallion began to chow down on his apple, she turned away and sat with her back to her favorite tree stump, opening her book. She wasn’t a huge reader, but it wasn’t good for horses to be ridden with stomachs full of food and water, so she needed something to do during the break besides just eating.

As far as books went, this one wasn’t too bad, for a boring horse book. Yang began to wish she was a faster reader, as she could usually only get through a chapter in the hour she took for the break. Ruby had always been the faster reader. Eyes glazing over, not reading the words on the page, Yang began to wonder if Summer was a faster reader than Raven.

Qrow being back in town always had its downsides for Yang.

She returned her focus to the book, immersing herself in the world of horses. Her dad didn’t read much either, but he did have quite a few books on horses, and he even brought some home from the lord’s library on occasion for Yang to read.

At the end of the chapter, she sighed and placed her bookmark in her new spot, coming back to her real life. She walked back over to Shadow, placing the book back into the saddlebag and getting his bridle back on. He resisted, of course, like the brat that he is, but Yang was firm and placed the bit in his mouth anyway. Defeated, Shadow allowed the rest of the bridle to be placed, but not before attempting to graze through his bit before Yang mounted.

“Really? You want to graze _now_? I think my mighty steed is piggy, not a stallion!” She grinned down, lovingly patting his neck. Shadow turned his neck to fix Yang with a stare. 

He was just a horse, but it looked to Yang that he knew he had been insulted.

\---

Yang returned home before Qrow or Taiyang. She took the opportunity to clean up the stables, switching old bedding for fresh, bringing up water from the well for the troughs. She took a horse pick to Shadow’s hooves and brushed him down, getting the dust out of his fur.

At the sound of approaching hooves, Yang turned. Taiyang was home, looking out into the pasture.

“Hey dad, welcome home.” Yang stood and stretched the stiffness from her joints.

“Where’s Ruby?” her father frowned.

Yang turned to the pasture. Stark was alone. Yang hadn’t even noticed that Ruby’s mare Crescent was missing.

“I… didn’t even realize she was gone. I thought she was in her garden.” Yang did a 180, looking to the sunny patch on the other side of the house, where parts of Ruby’s garden could be seen.

“Oh.” Taiyang dismounted his horse. “Well, you know Ruby, she probably left a note. Brush Zwei down, will you?” he handed Yang the reigns of the even-tempered tobiano, walking toward the house. 

“Yeah dad, I’ll get _Zweight_ on that.” Yang laughed, grabbing the brush she had just set down, earning a chuckle from her father. He hadn’t been gone for two minutes when he came right back out, holding a note.

“It says she’d be home in time for dinner,” Taiyang said worriedly, shoving the note in Yang’s face.

“Well, dinner’s not ready now, is it?” Yang reasoned, placing her hand on her hip.

“Well, it’s _almost_ time for dinner, and this isn’t Ruby behavior.” Taiyang looked back at the note. “Can’t a father be worried?”

“Alright, alright.” Yang switched her father the note for the brush. “You finish brushing Zwei, I’ll look for Ruby. She probably just got caught up in a book and forgot the time. You know, just girly things.” She winked a lilac eye at her father over her shoulder, walking over to Shadow.

Taiyang looked worried, but let out a sigh. “Alright, just… Be home soon, okay?”

“Yeah dad, we will be. I’m too hungry to stay out. Tell Uncle Qrow to get home and cook us something good, I think he’s still out at the bar.” Yang gathered up her gear and watched her father’s face scrunch up. “What? I didn’t tell him to go. In fact, I asked him to come on a trail ride with me.”

Taiyang sighed and ran a hand through his blonde locks, then remembered they were covered with horse dirt and dust and brushed his head off. “Thanks for trying, Yang. I appreciate it.”

“Well, I love him too, you know,” Yang said, buckling Shadow’s saddle back on. She hoisted herself back up, then realized she forgot the bridle, and made to get down. Her father held up a hand, grabbing the item himself.

“I know you girls think I’m a little stifling sometimes,” he said softly, fitting the bit into an unhappy Shadow’s mouth.

“I get it. Because of Raven.” Yang said flatly.

“Because I _care about you_.” Taiyang said pointedly, finishing the rest of the bridle and handing the reigns to Yang. “This has nothing to do with… _her_.” 

“Okay, dad.” Yang shifted uncomfortably in partly from the conversation, partly from riding all day. “Well, I’m gonna go look for Ruby."

Taiyang stepped back. “Come back safe, Yang.”

“I will.” Yang promised. “Ruby too.”

She squeezed her knees, urging Shadow forward, back to the trail.


	3. A New Path

‘ _Out to read, be back be dinner time_ ’

The note was ‘signed’ with a rose, from Ruby. Yang shoved the note into the deep pocket of her riding pants, thankful to be wearing clothing with pockets. Midsummer was fast approaching, so there were many hours of daytime, but Ruby had to realize that she was late.

Didn’t she?

Yang sighed, cantering Shadow along the trail, keeping an eye out for signs of her sister.

“Jeez Rubes, how far along did you go to read?” Yang looked around at the familiar path. Taiyang’s path didn’t take too long to traverse, maybe an hour and a half at a slow pace on a nice day like today. As Yang neared Wildcat Creek, she let out a curse. The normally well-hidden entrance to her trail was now trampled down, as though a younger rider had found it by accident and decided to follow it after turning their horse around the entrance a few times. Ruby didn’t take Taiyang’s trail.

For second time that day, Yang led Shadow along her own special trail across the creek, deeper into the woods.

“Ruby, what have you _done_.” Yang hissed quietly to herself, eyes wide with fear for her sister. Yang didn’t worry about Grimm during the day, but the sun would begin to set in an hour or so. With her signature red cloak, Ruby was a walking target for Grimm once twilight fell. Yang could feel eyes on her. Did Grimm come out this early in the day this close to town? She broke out into a nervous sweat and urged Shadow as on as quickly as he would go. The stallion sensed his girl’s discomfort, abandoning his usual sass and obeying to get them both out of the forest as quickly as possible.

It took another half hour, but they finally reached Yang’s reading grove. Yang didn’t bother dismounting; Ruby wasn’t here. Or wasn’t here _anymore_. She looked to her reading tree stump, and next to the apple core that she had discarded earlier was a second.

‘ _When were you here, Ruby?_ ’ Yang thought to herself, eyebrows knitted together. ‘ _And why didn’t you realize that this isn’t dad’s trail?_ ’ She shook her head, turning to the exit of the trail. But across the Penumbra, she saw something that made her blood run cold.

A fresh path.

\---

By now, Yang was cursing out loud, making Shadow trot as quickly as possible. The stallion realized Yang wasn’t in the mood to stop and clear the path, and he for once obediently jumped any obstacles in the path. If there were any. There was evidence of Ruby and Crescent- branches had been dragged out of the way for the mare, as she wasn't as good of a jumper as Shadow.

Yang looked to the horizon. If sunset had been close before, it was a heavy rock in her pocket while trying swim. She gritted her teeth, but the path was too new to go fast as she wanted. There was no way she could find Ruby and bring her home before the Grimm came out for the night. She pushed Shadow farther, stealing glances at the falling sun. Oddly enough, the path joined a trail. Yang dug her heels into Shadow’s side, looking at the trail.

“This isn’t dad’s trail… Where _are_ we, Shadow?” She looked back and forth, then noted the hoofprints leading from the path to the left of the trail.

“Oh Ruby, that is NOT the way home!” Yang sighed worriedly. A Beowolf howled in the distance, startling Yang. She suddenly wished she had stolen her uncle’s sword. Not that she knew how to use it, but at least it would be better that being unarmed.

On an established trail, Shadow was able to run. Yang urged him onward, worried now not only for Ruby, but also for herself. The reality of the situation was beginning to set in. She was alone in the middle of the Grimm-infested forest, looking for her younger sister, with no weapons, no way to defend herself, and the sun was about to set. Uncle Qrow said the most dangerous thing about traveling alone was the Grimm, and that’s why it was so common for complete strangers who were going in the same direction to travel together. No one was quite sure what it was about small groups of humans that drew Grimm in while large groups repelled, but Qrow’s sword always made him a favored traveling companion.

Yang had nothing, no one but Shadow.

Out of the corner of her eye, she thought she saw something running, keeping pace with Shadow, but when she turned to look, nothing was there. Whatever it was, it had spooked the giant prey animal beneath her saddle, and Shadow began to run faster, unbidden by Yang.

Yang could feel the stallion’s heart beating a million miles an hour beneath her, matching her own terrified heartbeat. Tears welled in the corners of her eyes. She had promised to bring Ruby back, to come home safe. She lied.

“I’m sorry daddy.” Yang sobbed quietly to herself. “I’m just like her. I left you, and now I’m never coming back. I’m so sorry.” Tears streamed down her face. Another beowolf howled, much closer. This time when she looked to the forest next to her, there were shadows keeping pace with her Shadow, staring back with eyes crimson as uncle Qrow’s.

Shadow whinnied, and Yang looked up. Somewhere along the way, the simple trail had turned into a real road, paved and all. Up ahead, at the end of the road, stood a dark, foreboding castle. The sun was half set behind the hill, giving the castle a beautiful orange and violet sunset backdrop, the first stars shining through overhead. Best of all, the gates were open.

Yangs eyes widened with hope. 

“YES! Shadow, keep it up! Keep going! We’re almost there!” Yang urged.

Shadow normally would have snorted sassily, but the stallion was whale-eyed with fear, focusing only on running to safety. 

Until an Ursa lumbered onto the road.

Yang’s happiness fell into a sob. She was going to die. Shadow reared, kicking his hooves to keep the bear-like Grimm at bay. Beowolves slinked out from the shadows and surrounded Yang’s flank. Yang sat atop her terrified horse for a moment, then dismounted, shaking with fear. She pulled Ruby’s sweat-soaked note from her pocket, pushing it through the horn of her saddle. At least Ruby would know that Yang had come for her, if she was in the castle. Shadow’s sides were heaving with effort, but Yang slapped his rear, causing the stallion to bolt. He ran right past the Ursa, into the safety of the castle grounds. Yang began to hyperventilate. She thought it would be the right thing to do, to let Shadow go since Grimm only kill humans, but now… Now she was truly alone.

She crouched down on the ground and hugged her knees as the Ursa took slow steps forward. Tears streamed down her face as she closed her eyes and rocked herself back and forth.

“I’m sorry dad… I’m so sorry… I’m sorry Ruby… I’m sorry Uncle Qrow… I’m sorry mom… I’m sorry Rav-"she choked. “I’m sorry. I’m sorry. I’m sorry.”

The shadow of the Ursa fell over her. Beowolves growled.

The sun finally set.

The Ursa let out a gurgling cry. It didn’t sound at all what Yang thought an attack would sound like. If she wasn’t about to die, she would have laughed. Then she heard the beowolves turn and flee. She risked looking at the Ursa.

It was slowly fading, as Grimm do when they are slain. The only thing not fading was the sword tip sticking through its heart.

Yang’s tears stopped, traded for a look of confusion. As the rest of the Ursa faded to shadows, the owner of the sword was revealed. Yang was looking up at the most beautiful woman she had even seen in her entire life.

The woman was pale skinned, with silvery-white hair tied up in a high ponytail to her right and icy blue eyes. A scar over her left eye was the only thing that marred her beauty. Her long white dress was regal, and the woman looked like the daughter of powerful lord. If she had said she was a princess, Yang would have believed her. 

The woman sheathed her sword in the sheath at her belt, reminding Yang what the beauty had just done for Yang.

“Th-Thank- Thanks- Thank-“ Yang stuttered, overwhelmed by everything that had happened.

“Are you… ‘Yang’?” The woman interrupted.

Yang blinked. “Uhhhh… Yes?”

The woman rolled her eyes and crossed her arms. “Are you asking me or telling me?”

“Tell… Telling you?” Yang ventured.

The woman’s eyebrows rose.

“Telling you.” Yang tired again.

“Good. Follow me.” The woman turned on her heel and walked purposefully through the gates into the castlegrounds.


	4. Into the Castle

Yang did her best to keep up with the woman in white, but her nerves got the best of her, causing her knees to shake with every step she took. Despite watching the Ursa fade before her very eyes, Yang’s heart was still pounding. Tears sprung to corners of her eyes again, unbidden, as she watched the strong back of the woman in white stride purposefully to the looming front door of the caste. Yang pawed the tears away from her eyes and wiped the snot from her nose, embarrassed. She was beautiful for a village girl, but who was she compared to this woman? She couldn’t save herself, she couldn’t save her sister, she couldn’t save-

Yang stopped dead in her tracks, looking around wildly. “Shadow? Shadow!” She saw no sign of her equine partner. “SHADOW!”

The woman in white turned to face Yang, walking back.

“I assume Shadow is your horse?” she asked coolly. Yang could only nod, holding back more tears. Grimm didn’t kill animals, only humans. Where was Shadow?

“My butler has seen him to our stables. Klein is quite capable, so there is no need to-” the woman was cut off in surprise as Yang collapsed, unable to hold in the sobs. “I- I don’t understand, why are you crying? Your horse is fine!” the woman protested, startled. Yang hiccuped between sobs, looking up at her savior.

“I- I- I’m- I’m just- I’m so- I’m so glad- I’m so- he’s just- I thought-” Yang took deep breaths, trying to control the sobs. “He’s okay,” she said quietly, a weak smile on her face.

The beautiful woman blinked, then let out a sigh and extended her hand. “Well, you’ve been through a lot. Let’s get you inside.” Yang accepted the woman’s hand, leaning on her shoulder as the pair made their way into the castle.

\---

If the exterior of the castle was foreboding, the interior was homey, if dark. Taiyang’s home was dark at night, but looking around, Yang knew this place was dark in a different way. All the candles and chandeliers were lit, bathing the foyer in a warm light. The furniture screamed opulence, a far cry from the spartan furniture in Taiyang’s foyer. Yang knew they were lucky that their father was able to have a well-paying job that they could afford a nice couch in their family room. She was sure a simple candle holder from this room cost more than that couch.

The woman escorted Yang past the foyer’s grand sparkle, between two curved dark marble staircases, through a hallway lined with paintings that probably cost more than the stables Yang tended lined with a long plush rug, at the end of which lie a pair of open double doors. Even they had doorknobs made or crystal.

‘ _Maybe not crystal_ ,’ Yang thought as she passed through the doors. ‘ _Maybe diamond. That’s what rich people buy, right? Diamonds and horses_?’

The woman in white stood by the door. “The reception room,” she spoke quietly to Yang, then turned to the room. “Lady Blake, I present Yang Xiao Long.”

Yang gazed around the room. There were no candles or chandeliers, and the curtains were drawn closed. The only light came from a fire place at the far end of the room, opposite the doors, blocked by two large chairs. Yang gulped as two figures turned from the fire in their chairs, bathed in shadows, a ring of flame around their edges. Then one hopped up excitedly.

“Yang! You’re here! This is so exciting!” Ruby squealed, rushing to embrace her sister.

Yang’s arms trembled as she reached up to return her sister’s hug. Instead, she placed her hands roughly on Ruby’s shoulder and pushed her sister back at arm’s length so she could look Ruby in the eyes.

“Ruby… _What_ have you _done_? _WHAT_ did you _THINK_ you were _DOING_?” Yang started to cry again. She didn’t care. “Dad was so worried! _I_ was so worried! Ruby, I…” she took in a breath. “Ruby, I almost _died_. Do you have any idea what time it is?”

Ruby’s face was more pale than usual. “I… I’m sorry.” She squeaked.

Yang’s anger grew by the second. “I promised dad that we would both be back home for dinner. Do you understand, Ruby? _I_ promised _DAD_. And now, _we can’t go home tonight_. Do you know who he’s going to compare me to now, Ruby?” Ruby’s eyes began to tear. “Ruby, _you put us BOTH in danger! Do you understand? Do you? DO YOU?_ ” Yang’s knuckles began to whiten on Ruby’s shoulders, which were shaking as the young girl began to cry.

“Well, this certainly is an unexpected turn of events.” A silky voice observed from the second chair by the fireplace.

Yang looked away from Ruby furiously, to be met with a pair of golden eyes gazing back at her from a deep shadow. Yang’s anger faded, replaced with uncertainty.

“Why don’t you sit? It seems you have had a rough day indeed, young one.” A thin shape extended from the main mass of the shadow- an arm?- gesturing to the open seat. Yang looked down at her sniffling sister, who refused to meet her eyes. Cautiously, Yang led Ruby around the chair the long way, getting a good look at the figure by the fire.

If the woman in white had been the most beautiful woman Yang had ever seen in her life, Yang would have to think of a way to make pun of how her beauty ‘paled’ in comparison to this mysterious woman. While the woman in white was beautiful for her milky white skin, silver hair, and light eyes, this woman was her opposite in every way. Her tawny skin seemed to glow in the fire’s light, and her cascading locks were as black as the night itself. Her dress was black and regal, likely custom made by the way it fit her every curve, made of a silky material. Like the woman in white, her eyes held a flaw- no scars, but her eyes themselves seemed distinctly predatory.

Yang wearily sat down in the chair, cradling Ruby on her lap, stroking her sister’s head. “I’m sorry Ruby, I shouldn’t have gone off on you like that.” Yang murmured. Ruby didn’t respond, but her tears had subsided, at least.

Yang sighed and turned, to be met with that predatory golden gaze.

“So.” That silky, sweet, husky voice. “You are Yang Xiao Long. Daughter to Taiyang Xiao Long, older sister of Ruby Rose.” The woman leaned forward. “Tell me, Yang Xiao Long. Who are you?”

The hairs on the back of Yang’s neck began to rise. “W-well, I… I’m Yang?” She gulped. Ruby giggled. “So… Who are you?” She turned to the woman in white, still in the corner. “Both of you?” She looked back to the dark woman. “And where exactly are we?”

“Weiss, darling, you didn’t introduce yourself? How crude.” The dark woman laughed. 

The pale woman strode forward. “My apologies, my lady. I was more worried about the Ursa that was attempting to devour our… _guest_.” She turned to Yang. “I am Weiss of House Schnee. It is an honor to meet you, Yang Xiao Long.” Weiss curtsied.

Yang’s head spun. House Schnee? She had heard that name before… Her father served the local lord, House Nikos, and the country was ruled by House Ironwood… But wasn’t there a noble family named the Schnees? That would explain why Weiss was so beautiful, so well-dressed, so elegant.

So unlike Yang.

Yang turned to the seated woman as Weiss continued. “This is my mistress, Lady Blake of House Belladonna.” Lady Blake’s lips curled into a cat-like smile. Yang had never heard of House Belladonna before. Maybe they were a royal family, related to the Ironwoods somehow?

“Yang, she said it’s nice to meet you.” Ruby stage-whispered up from Yang’s lap.

Yang looked from Lady Blake down to her sister, processing the words. Then her head shot back up. “OH! Right! Um, it’s a please- it’s a pleasure to meet you too!” Yang stuck her arm out stiffly, as though she were a toy soldier, her face blushing. Lady Blake laughed, sweet as silk, and shook Yang’s outstretched hand delicately.

“I’m sure it will be a pleasure, Miss Xiao Long.” Lady Blake replied huskily, eyes flashing.

\---

Lady Blake explained that she had been talking to Ruby since the girl had arrived at the castle, and that she had told the Lady all about life in the town. Hearing these stories was how Lady Blake and Weiss had come to know of Yang, thus Weiss guessing Yang’s identity based on appearance alone after the Grimm attack. Ruby had also told the women all about their father, how their uncle was visiting, what it was like living on a ranch, how much she liked to garden and to read fairytales. She told them about Summer, and about how heartbroken she and Yang had been when she had passed, how Yang had to become a mother figure to Ruby while her father was too depressed to function after Summer's death.

Lady Blake asked Yang about her life, what it was like raising her younger sister, what she likes to do, why she chose to ride a difficult stallion rather than a more manageable one, how many books she’s read about horses.

They conversed for another hour, when aged man knocked on the door. “The midnight meal is prepared, ladies.” He announces.

Yang looks to Ruby. “Midnight Meal?” She asks. 

Ruby shrugged. “Free food, Yang.”

“Thank you, Klein. We’ll be there shortly.” Weiss lays a gentle hand on the aging man’s shoulder and whispers in his ear. He pauses, then nods and slowly shuffles away. Weiss turns back, nodding to Lady Blake.

“Well,” Lady Blake says, standing slowly. “Shall we?”


	5. A Nervous Dinner

Weiss opened a set of double doors to the left of the reception room’s fireplace, previously unseen in the shadows, leading to a grand dining room. The room was long, easily three times the size of the dining room in the Xiao Long home. Unlike the reception room, the curtains of the dining room were open, bathing the room in moonlight. Candlesticks on the table and chandeliers above provided additional lighting, putting Yang more at ease now that she could see. Across the room from the doors lie another fireplace, also lit, providing warmth, and Yang could see a covered porch to the castle’s rear through glass doors on the right side of the room, leading to what appeared to be a beautiful garden. She nudged Ruby with her elbow.

“Look, there’s a garden!” Yang pointed out the glass door and past the porch as the two walked into the dining room. Ruby’s eyes lit up as the girl smiled.

“Do you think there’s fruits and vegetables, or just flowers?” she whispered.

“That garden is my flower garden. I care for it personally.” Yang jumped, she hadn’t realized that Lady Blake was right behind her and her sister. “There is another garden by the kitchens, along with a small orchard, that my staff maintains.”

“Can we go see it?” Ruby blurted, eyes sparkling. She stole a quick glance at the table, adding “after the ‘midnight meal’, of course.”

Lady Blake smiled, ushering the sisters to the far end of the room. “We shall see.”

The Butler, Klein, rolled a serving cart with silver trays into the room as the ladies sat down at the table, Lady Blake at the head, Weiss to her right, and the sisters to her left. Weiss stood to assist the butler, but the elderly man placed a comforting hand on the woman’s shoulder, gently sitting her back down, much to Weiss’s dismay. ‘ _She’s clearly used to serving, not being served_ ,’ Yang thought to herself as Klein placed the dishes down before the ladies. Yang’s stomach growled in anticipation, and Yang blushed in embarrassment. The Grimm attack had stressed her out, and she forgot that she hadn’t had a chance to eat dinner.

When the lids were removed, Yang wasn’t sure how to approach the meal. At home, she was used to getting a big meal with one type of silverware, maybe two if she needed a knife for meat. Before her lie a small plate with 3 slices of bread, topped with neatly arranged chopped tomatoes on top of something white, with green things sprinkled on top and a basil leaf sitting next to the slices. To the left of the plate were three different forks, yet there was a fourth fork above the plate, surrounded by two different spoons. Worse yet was the right of the place, which had four different knives, an oddly round spoon, and a strange two-pronged fork. She could use a knife to cut the bread up, then use a fork- but which ones? Or was she just supposed to cut it in half? How were people supposed to eat these things? Yang began to sweat nervously, eyes darting between the forks and knives, trying to decide how best to eat the strange dish. She heard a crunch to her left and looked on in horror as Ruby munched on a piece of bread, holding it in her bare hands, crumbs on her mouth and upper chest. Ruby let out a sigh of contentment, then looked at her sister.

“Whaf, if’s ghoof!” she exclaimed, mouth full of food, then returned to eating her bread.

Yang turned to Weiss and Lady Blake to apologize for her sister’s lack of knowledge. Weiss’s eyes were wide with shock, eyebrows high, hands frozen over her silverware. Lady Blake’s eyebrows had risen too, but she laughed. 

“How… refreshing.” Lady Blake reached down and delicately pinched a slice between two fingers, bringing it up to her mouth. She held her free hand underneath her mouth as she bit into the bread, catching crumbs and a drop of tomato juice that fell from the slice. She smiled, chewing thoughtfully. Weiss looked on, mouth now agape, as her mistress fell to the heathen ways of the common folk. Waiting until she had fully chewed and swallowed, Lady Blake waved a hand at her servant and urged Weiss to follow suit.

Weiss looked down at her plate, gauging something between following her Lady’s orders and being a noble Lady herself. In the end, her loyalty to Lady Blake won, and she let out a sigh as she lifted the bread with her hands like a commoner.

Yang, meanwhile, felt relived. She didn’t understand the need for so much silverware for three little slices of bread, but she never had a problem eating with her hands while riding Shadow. She lifted a slice of bread to her mouth and bit, not sure what to expect, and was surprised. The white thing beneath the tomatoes was some sort of cheese, and the green things on top were a blend of fresh herbs.

“This _is_ really good! What is it?” She looked to Weiss and Lady Blake.

“It’s bruschetta, one of Lady Blake’s favorites.” Weiss explained. “Garlic bread, mozzarella cheese, tomatoes, and herbs, lightly toasted.”

“I guess ‘midnight meal’ is just rich people talk for ‘midnight snack’.” Ruby whispered, picking up her second slice of bruschetta.

“Do you think they use special silverware for each meal? Like, this is their idea of a small set? And during the day they have even more forks?” Yang whispered back.

Ruby giggled so hard she had to cover her mouth to stop the bruschetta from coming back out, much to Weiss’ dismay.

Yang finished her second slice of bruschetta and took a bite of her third, then realized that both Weiss and Lady Blake had only eaten two slices. ‘ _Crap. Is this a rich people thing? Are we only supposed to eat two of things, and let them waste the third?_ ’ She set down her half-eaten third slice and looked at Ruby’s empty plate. Weiss raised a single eyebrow. ‘ _Well… They already know we’re commoners, and I’m hungry._ ’ Yang picked the slice back up and finished it off. She left the basil leaf, noting that Ruby had thankfully left hers as well.

“Klein, the hors d’oeuvres are done.” Weiss said back to the butler. Her rolled his tray back out, this time with slightly larger plates. Ruby and Yang exchanged looks- they weren’t done. This was a long midnight snack. No wonder Weiss and Lady Blake hadn’t eaten all their bruschetta. Klein removed the bruschetta plates and placed down the larger plates. Yang was a little nervous as she removed the lid.

There was no need to be. It was just a simple fish filet, drizzled in some savory-looking sauce, garnished with parsley. All she needed was a fork, and-

A fork.

Which one? There were too many forks to choose from. Then she had an idea. She stealthily looked up, watching as Weiss tenderly picked up both the farthest fork on her left and the knife with the weird notch on the top. Yang smiled to herself, picking up the same for herself, feeling rather proud.

“Ah, going for the salad fork I see?” Yang’s blood froze as Lady Blake cooed from the head of the table. Were the place settings different for Yang and Weiss? Had Weiss moved her forks? Did Yang see Weiss pick up the wrong fork? Yang broke out into a cold sweat, mouth opening to try to defend herself, but no words came.

“Oh, this is for salads?” Ruby said, looking at the fork in her own hand. “They all look the same, so I just grabbed the closest one.” Yang watched as Ruby set her salad fork down. The salad fork was apparently the one closest to the plate from the left.

“The fish fork is all the way at the other end, the other small one- yes, that’s it,” Lady Blake coached patiently. “You’ll also want the fish knife, it’s the farthest on the right.”

Ruby smiled, now armed with the proper cutlery. “Thank you very much, Lady Blake!”

Lady Blake merely dipped her head with a smile. Apparently, she was only willing to eat bruschetta with her hands, not eat fish with a salad fork. 

They continued the meal, with both Weiss and Lady Blake leaving a small portion of their fish untouched. Yang and Ruby ate theirs in entirety, the former too hungry to care and the latter oblivious to the Ladies.

‘ _Alright, bruschetta and fish. That’s a filling midnight snack, but that’s fine. I’m sure if I had eaten dinner, I would have left some on my plate, too,_ ’ Yang thought. Yet when Klein came to collect the plates, he brought out yet another dish for the ladies. This time, the dish was a small bowl of cubed potatoes with mixed vegetables, buttery and cooked to perfection with delicious seasoning. This was beginning to feel more like a dinner than a midnight snack to Yang, especially when Klein brought out a fourth dish afterwards, small white tea cakes topped with blackberries.

‘ _So that’s what the closer fork on top is for_ ,’ Yang thought, bringing in a slice of cake to her mouth. ‘ _I wonder what that weird farther one on top is for? We never touched that one during this ‘midnight meal’._ ’ The cake was decadent, light and fluffy with a delicious frosting that wasn’t overly sweet. The blackberries added in a hint of tartness, and Yang had never tasted a more delectable cake in her life.

Ruby clearly felt the same, as she let out a small squee of appreciation, hand on her cheek, eyes closed in delight. For once, Weiss beamed.

“This one’s my favorite. Not everyone likes it, as the blackberries can be a little a bitter for some, for I always wanted this cake for my birthday as I was growing up.” Weiss confessed.

“I can understand why, it’s delicious!” Ruby gushed, causing Weiss’ smile to grow even larger. Lady Blake merely smiled to herself, eyes cat-like in their half-lidded state.

Klein cleared the last of the dishes, no new ones on his cart, and Lady Blake stood.

“The night is still young, dear Ruby. Would you still like to visit my garden?” She asked, hands demurely folded in front of her body.

Ruby nodded eagerly, popping up from her seat. “Of course! Lead the way, Lady Blake!”


	6. Gardens of Opulence

AN: S/O to Kuchenjaegerfor and Slut_for_Roses_and_Bees helping me not look like an idiot u da real MVPs -thumbs up-

 

The night was warm, the moon bright, stars shining down and bathing the garden in a silver glow. Weiss held the glass door for Lady Blake, who led the sisters out from the dining room onto the porch and down the steps into the garden. Yang blinked in surprise.

“The flowers… they’re all black?” She turned to Lady Blake.

“Black and violet.” Lady Blake’s silky hair swept over her delicate shoulders as she tilted her head in a nod. “I bred them myself. Some of them were black or violet by nature, such as my Raven’s Wing and Bat Orchid, but others needed assistance. It took quite a bit of effort, to produce such blooms.” She placed a hand tenderly on a blossom beneath her. “I have special names for them… ‘Before the Storm’ iris. ‘Black Magic’ viola. ‘Queen of the Night’ tulip.” She smiled to the sisters. “Tell me Ruby, what is your favorite flower?”

“Oh, roses! Definitely roses!” Ruby breathed, hands clasped together. Weiss smiled. Apparently, Weiss’ were too.

Lady Blake gingerly grabbed Ruby’s hand in her own, leading her through the garden. Yang followed, curious as to what roses the dark woman may have bred. Weiss trailed behind like a phantom, watching the young girl intently. Yang snuck a glance at the woman in white out of the corner of her eye, observing as she watched Ruby and Lady Blake with an odd expression on her face. Why was she looking at Ruby like that?

“The Baccara Rose is naturally a lovely dark red, nearly black in color… It didn’t take too much to turn it such a soft velvet.” Lady Blake swept a hand gracefully above the rosebushes. Ruby’s hands went before her mouth as she gasped softly.

“Lady Blake, they’re _gorgeous_!” She exclaimed, kneeling to sniff a bloom. As she pulled the bloom forward, her finger caught on a thorn, and she yanked her hand back in surprise.

“My apologies, young one, I should not have neglected to mention the thorns.” Lady Blake murmured, watching the blood well in a dot on Ruby’s finger. Yang noted that strange predatory look in her eyes as she watched Ruby place her finger in her mouth to suck her own blood from her finger.

Lady Blake suddenly turned on her heel. “You two must be exhausted. I shall have Weiss show you to the guest quarters so that you may sleep.” Without another word, the dark woman strode back to the castle. Ruby and Yang exchanged glances.

“Did I upset her?” Ruby asked Weiss tentatively, eyebrows knitted together.

Weiss shook her head, off-centered pony tail bouncing. “The Lady’s moods are mysterious ones, but I doubt that you upset her, Ruby.” She extended her hand and helped Ruby off her knees. “Let’s get you two inside.”

As the trio made their way back to the castle, Yang spied a cluster of flowers away from the rest, along with three stones. “Weiss, what flowers are those? Why aren’t they with the rest?” she asked, pointing.

Weiss looked to where Yang pointed, then looked away quickly.

“Those flowers are poisonous. Best to stay away from them.”

\---

Weiss led the sisters back through the dining room and reception room, down the hallway of paintings. As they walked through the hallway, Yang now recognized Lady Blake in a few of the paintings. In others, there was a young girl, likely a young Lady Blake, with an older heavily bearded man and a beautiful woman. The older woman looked rather like Lady Blake, though her hair was cut much shorter, and the lines on her face suggested that she was much older. There were other paintings, of people that Yang did not recognize- a man with silver hair, small glasses, and cane standing beside a lovely older woman with a blonde updo and glasses, smartly dressed. A sad-looking woman with messy black hair much like Yang’s own, red eyes, clad in a lovely red dress, Grimm mask in her hand. A terrifying portrait of a white-haired woman with blood-red eyes and black sclera, a crystal on her forehead, and high-collared black dress. Yang shuddered and looked away from the white-haired woman’s gaze, looking back to the sad black-haired woman. Her eyes reminded her of Uncle Qrow’s. She looked away. She didn’t like these paintings. She was glad when the hallway spit them out into the foyer.

From the foyer, Weiss now led the sisters up the graceful marble stairs. Ruby looked to Yang excitedly. “We get to see what’s upstairs!” She exclaimed quietly. Yang smiled weakly, trying to forget the sets of haunting eyes from the long hallway.

The foyer of the second floor was open to the foyer of the first floor, and just as lovely. A long hallway stretched down, thankfully free of portraits. Weiss led the sisters to the left, opening the only door on the right.

“The powder room is across the hall, as is the guest bath. If you would like a bath drawn, let me know, I will have a maid do it for you.” She led the two in the room. “This is the guest living room. Through that door,” she pointed to the left side of the room, leading farther down the hall, “is the guest bedroom. My rooms are down the hallway to the right. If you need anything, please ring the servant’s bell.” Weiss pointed to a contraption built into the wall of the room. “Is there anything you ladies require before I go to Lady Blake?”

Ruby and Yang shook their heads.

“Then I shall take my leave. Miss Rose, Miss Xiao Long, have a lovely night.” Weiss curtsied, then left, closing the door behind her.

Yang and Ruby looked to the room behind them. The room was gold in color, and as opulent as the rest of the castle. The marble was cold underfoot, and in the center of the room was a rug of high design. The Rug was topped by an elegant short table, on which lie a vase with fresh flowers- Baccara Roses, Yang noted with suspicion, and a small stack of books. A couch sat across from the door along the table’s long edge, a loveseat and an armchair along the shorter opposing ends, all equally plush and seemingly spun from gold, much like Yang’s own hair, with small end tables matching the design of the short table in the middle between the three. Behind the loveseat stood a proud fireplace, upon which was a tall, decorative mirror nearly reaching the ceiling, reflecting the door to the bedroom. The chandelier was a lovely gold and crystal design, matching the scones on the wall between the windows behind the couch.

“It’s so pretty in here!” Ruby breathed, eyes wide. “I can’t believe we have our own living room!”

“ _Why_ do we have our own living room? We’re just guests!” Yang looked around, thinking of home. Right now, Qrow was sleeping on the couch. It wasn’t an uncomfortable couch, but it wasn’t a bed, either. The Xiao Long house only had three bedrooms, and there was no point in turning one into a guest room when Qrow was gone for so long, and his lanky body was too long for either Yang or Ruby’s beds, so he always slept on the couch when he visited. Yang knew it was silly to compare such a small home to a castle, but she couldn’t help but feel outdone. “Imagine if we had a room like this at home. Which one do you think Uncle Qrow could sleep on?” She jibed, pointing to the couches. Ruby laughed nervously. “I think they’re nice. Plus, Miss Weiss _did_ say there’s a bedroom, so he wouldn’t have to… Oh.” Ruby’s face fell. Yang realized her mistake immediately. First her explosion earlier, now this.

Normally, when Ruby went exploring, she would always be home by dinner. On the few occasions that Ruby had _not_ been home by dinner, Yang had always felt that she had to track her sister down herself, since Summer wasn’t there to do it anymore. She would scold the girl, then make up, and they would go home, best of friends. But this time had been worse. Ruby had never been out this far, and Yang had almost lost her life trying to bring her sister home- causing her scolding to become a more of an angry torrent than a real lesson. Then, worst of all, Lady Blake interrupted, and Yang never got to the make-up part. She wrapped her arms around her sister.

“I’m sorry I went off on you earlier. I know it wasn’t right, even though I was stressed. I shouldn’t have done that.” She squeezed Ruby as her sister returned the hug. “That wasn’t a scolding. That was worse. That was just me being angry. I was wrong for that. You did scare me half to death, but you didn’t deserve that verbal abuse. I’m sorry, Ruby.” Ruby nodded in Yang’s arms, sniffling.

“You scared me, Yang. I’ve never seen you that angry. And the worst part is… I didn’t even know… _why_ you were mad. I was just looking for a place to read, and then… things were weird.” Ruby backed out of Yang’s arms.

Yang’s eyebrows knitted together in confusion. “What do you mean?”

“Well,” Ruby let out with a sigh, “I was out on dad’s trail, when I saw another trail leading another way. I was curious, so I followed it. It wasn’t too late in the day, and I know how to find my way home, you know?” Yang nodded. It was her trail, and she trusted her sister’s instincts. “But then… I found this clearing and sat down to read, and…” she trailed off, thinking hard. “I saw a black cat. Just out in the woods by itself. It was really odd. So… I followed it.”

Yang tilted her head. “The cat lead you here?”

“Yeah. Weird, huh?” Ruby said. “Lady Blake said she has two black cats, a short-furred one named Gambol and a long-furred one named Shroud.” She shrugged. “I guess Gambol wanted me to come here. I wasn’t going to stay long, I just wanted a some water for Crescent, but I guess I was here longer than I expected… It didn’t feel like that long to me…” Ruby’s silver eyes met Yang’s lilac. “Have you noticed… That there aren’t any clocks in here?”

Yang thought back to her trip through the parts of the castle that she had been through. Ruby was right, there weren’t any. “And the curtains were closed, so you couldn’t see how dark it was…” Yang added.

Ruby nodded. “I promise that if I had realized, I would have headed home right away, but… I don’t know how to explain it. It’s like the entire time I was riding here, the _sun never moved._ ”

Yang stepped back, laughing nervously. “Wh-what do you mean? That’s not possible, this is nearly an hour ride from the Penumbra!”

Ruby looked deep into Yang’s eyes. “I’m serious. And you know what else? I know Crescent isn’t as fast as Shadow, but she’s pretty fast, right? Faster than Zwei?” Yang nodded, as the silver mare was well-bred. Ruby rook a deep breath. “The cat, Gambol? _We couldn’t catch up to him_.”

Yang’s head spun. A cat that was faster than a horse? That wasn’t possible. Yet when she looked into Ruby’s eyes, she could tell that her sister was telling the truth. The sun _hadn’t_ moved, and the cat _had_ outpaced her. _How_?

Ruby wrapped her arms around herself. “Like I said, the whole thing was just… Odd.” She looked at the bedroom door. “I’m tired. Let’s go to sleep.”

Yang nodded. The bedroom, much like the living room, was a splendor of gold, but the girls were too tired to look around. The bed was as large as three of Yang’s beds put together, but the sisters still curled up together. As she held Ruby in her arms protectively, Yang closed her eyes and waited for sleep to take her.

That night she dreamt of eyes staring at her from the dark. Fierce red eyes with black sclera, brown eyes with small glasses, green eyes with fashionable glasses, cold blue eyes with a scar, sad red eyes, bright silver eyes.

And one pair of hungry, predatory golden eyes.

An Ursa growled and the eyes all turned into the eyes of Grimm, and thousands more appeared.

Yang did not sleep well that night.


	7. Bath and Breakfast

When Yang woke up the next day, sunlight was streaming through the windows. She rolled out of the massive bed and yawned, stretching her arms, wandering over to the window to try and guess the time. The sun was just past its peak, and Yang thought it to be about an hour or so past noon. She looked back to the bed, where Ruby snored lightly, curled up in the fetal position.

Remembering Weiss’ words last night, Yang made her way from the bedroom through the living room and opened the door to the hallway, looking about. It was empty. She tiptoed across the hall to the powder room, ready to use a chamber pot. Instead, she opened the door to a toilet and a sink with a basin, along with odd metal pipes connecting them to the floors. ‘ _This castle has toilets and running water?_ ’ she thought, gawking.

Yang had never used either before. Plumbing was expensive, and it was hard to justify spending so much money on items used for excrement. Yang slowly walked over to the toilet, marveling at the porcelain throne. She lifted the lid, tried to remember what she had heard about the things and how to use them. Uncle Qrow had used one once- Yang remembered him saying that he had sat on it. She did so, marveling. It was so much easier than squatting over a chamber pot! When she was finished with her business, she stood and pulled up her pants. The seat was connected to a basin by the ceiling by pipes, and a chain hung down from the basin with a short handle. Yang delicately pulled the handle, bringing down the chain and activating some sort of mechanism in the basin and the seat of the toilet. Water pulled the mess down, away into the pipes, to be refilled with clean water from the basin above. Truly amazing.

Yang moved on to the sink. She looked at herself in the mirror above the sink, nodding at herself, then looked down at the basin. There was a spout in the middle, with two handles on either side. Script on the handles denoted the left as being ‘H’, while the right was ‘C’. Yang pulled on ‘C’ experimentally. It wouldn’t budge. She tried to twist ‘H’, and water began to flow from the spout. Excitedly, Yang soaped her hands and began to wash. As the water quickly rose to an unbearable temperature, she realized what ‘H’ and ‘C’ meant, and turned the sink off. She stood back and, spying a towel on the wall, mopped her hands dry. 

She turned to the far end of the room, remembering the bath, and walked over to the door across from the sink. She opened the door and went through, wondering what the bath might be like. Inside the bathroom, her breath was taken away.

Two chaise lounges lined the walls on either side of the door, with end tables at their sides stacked with plush towels. Into the room the marble floor came up into a second level rising to Yang’s thighs, the sides rising sharply while the middle went in stairs, creating a marble slab in into which the tub was built. Yang tiptoed up the steps, flanked by columns, and peered into the tub. Like the sink, it had a spout and two handles, with a drain at the bottom. The tub itself was large enough for Yang and Ruby to bathe together, if they so desired. Yang had to tell her.

Yang raced back down the steps and out of the bathroom, out of the powder room, into the hall, back into through the living room and into the bed room. “Ruby! You’ve GOTTA see this!”

Ruby was still curled up in bed. “Ruby! Wake UP!” Yang flopped onto the bed, shaking her sister. Ruby merely groaned and pulled the soft blankets over her head. “Come on Rubes, I found something really cool!” Ruby slowly began to stretch her body out, one leg at a time, before pulling the covers back down, silver eyes glaring. 

“Yang, I’m still _seepy_.” Ruby murmured, mouth covered by the blanket.

“How can you still be 'seepy'? We slept nearly half the day! Come on, get up!” Yang wrestled the blankets away from Ruby, laughing.

Ruby struggled to keep the warm blankets, but Yang was stronger and always won these fights. “Okay, okay, I'm up," she sighed. "What did you want to show me?”

Yang took her hand and grinned. “Let’s just say if you pee yourself from excitement, you’ll be fine.”

Ruby simply looked confused as Yang led her across the hall. Upon seeing the toilet and sink, Ruby was unimpressed. “I know,” she said simply, shrugging. “I had to go yesterday.” 

“Okay, but what about the bath?” Yang led Ruby to the bathroom, finally getting the reaction she wanted.

“Wow! Look at that bath!” Ruby exclaimed.

“Right? So much better than bathing in the creek!” Yang said as Ruby walked up the stairs to the bath.

“You can even use hot water for your bath!” Ruby said excitedly, pointing to the handles. Yang nearly swooned at the thought of a hot bath. 

“Ruby! Let’s take a bath before we go home!” Yang said suddenly.

Ruby looked at her sister, then smiled. “Yeah!”

\---

The girls went back to the guest living room to ring the servant’s bell. Before long, there was a quiet knock on the door. Yang answered, and a young woman with long brown hair tied up with a golden bow wearing a maid’s dress entered.

“Hello, girls!” She said cheerfully, voice thick with an Australian accent. “What do you two need?”

“We want to take a nice hot bath!” Ruby said, practically jumping with excitement.

The maid curtsied. “I’ll go draw up the water and prepare the shampoos and soaps for you. I’ll come back when it’s finished.”

“Thank you!” The sisters said together as the maid exited the room.

The two girls sat down on the couch and waited. Ruby smelled the roses in the vase, while Yang looked at the books stacked on the table. ‘ _Miss Manners’ Guide to Proper Etiquette for Ladies, Second Edition'_. Yang snorted. ‘ _On Monsters: Ozpin’s Theories of Grimm_ ’. Yang cocked a single eyebrow. That one looked interesting. ‘ _Ninjas of Love_ ’. Curious, Yang read the back. Her face turned beet red. She stacked _Miss Manners_ on top of _Ninjas of Love_ , hoping Ruby wouldn’t see it, and picked up _On Monsters_.

Just as Yang had finished the introduction, there was another knock on the door, scaring her. “Y-yes!” she shouted.

The maid opened the door. “The bath is ready, ladies.”

Ruby bounced up excitedly, and Yang forgot about Ozpin’s theories, setting the book down.

\---

The maid led the sisters to the bath and apparently was ready to help them undress and bathe, which they assured her would not be necessary. Instead, they asked her for breakfast, and took care of their clothes themselves. The maid had drawn up hot water and scented it with rose bubbles, much to Ruby’s delight. Yang had only had a warm bath a few times in her life, but this was by far the most luxurious. She relished in the rich shampoos and skin care products set out for her and her sister, and even a small pick the she was able to use to remove the dirt from underneath her nails with. Even after the girls were clean and smelled better than had in ages, they stayed in the water, waiting until it grew cold to exit and re-dress.

“My, Lady Yang, look how clean thine nails be!” Ruby teased as the two walked down the curved stairs to the foyer.

“And you, Lady Ruby! Not a spot of dirt or horse muck in your hair! How lovely you are!” Yang teased back.

The sisters giggled to one another, doling out compliments as they made their way to the dining room. Unexpectedly, not only was the maid waiting for them, but also Klein.

“Oh! Good morning Mr. Klein!” Yang said.

“Thanks for everything last night! The food was really good!” Ruby echoed.

The elderly butler smiled at the young ladies. “I will relay your pleasure to the chef, dear. Now please, have a seat.” He gestured to their seats from last night.

Both Klein and the maid brought carts. Klein served the sisters their meals- fluffy omelets with a bowl of fruit and 2 slices of toast each. The maid’s cart held 4 pitchers.

“What would you like to drink? Water, milk, or juice?” She asked.

“Just water, thank you.” Yang smiled.

“Milk, please!” Ruby said happily.

The maid poured their drinks and stood back.

As the sisters were finishing their food, Klein came back into the room. “Miss Xiao Long, your horse had a rough ride yesterday, but he appears to be doing much better today. The stable boy took good care of him, and he is ready when you are.”

“Thank you so much, Klein!” Yang smiled. “You’re the best!”

Ruby laughed nervously. “Crescent’s ready too, right?”

Klein looked at Ruby oddly. The maid looked down at her feet awkwardly.

“No. Your mare is not prepared for travel.”

Yang and Ruby froze. Why was Shadow ready to go if Crescent wasn’t?

“I don’t understand,” Yang started.

Klein held up a hand. “My apologies ladies. There seems to be some confusion. You see, only Miss Xiao Long is going home today.” He looked into Ruby’s silver eyes. “Miss Rose, Lady Belladonna has decided that she wants to keep you.”


	8. The Trade

Yang’s mouth dropped open. Lady Blake had decided to _keep_ Ruby? No. Absolutely not. Ruby was going home. Yang had promised her father that much. Yang stood up quickly, placing a protective arm in front of Ruby.

“I’m sorry, Klein, but Lady Blake is _not_ keeping Ruby.” Yang stated firmly, right hand balled in a fist at her side. “She’s coming home with me, like I promised my dad.”

Klein and the maid exchanged a glance. “I see… I thought Lady Belladonna had explained things last night.” Klein bowed. “I see now that she did not.”

Yang let out her breath. “So, we can leave now?” She asked hopefully.

Klein shook his head. “Unfortunately, no. I shall fetch Lady Schnee and have her explain.”

Ruby held tightly onto Yang’s hand as Klein left through the servant’s exit and the maid led the sisters to the reception room. “I’ll go make some tea,” she said quietly, not meeting their eyes.

The sisters waited, Ruby sitting in the armchair while Yang paced. Ruby kneaded her hands nervously in her lap, watching as Yang bit her nails, thinking. What could Yang say to Weiss? _Why_ did Lady Blake want Ruby in the first place? Ruby could tell that Yang was making herself more nervous just by thinking, but she didn’t know what to say to ease her older sister’s mind.

After a while, Klein opened the double doors to the reception room, letting Weiss into the room. Unlike last night’s grand gown and off-centered updo, today Weiss wore a robe over a nightgown, and her hair was down. Klein must have woken her up, despite it being the middle of the day. Weiss strode over to the second chair, the one that Lady Blake had occupied last night, and sat down with a sigh.

“Look, Ruby’s not staying here, she’s coming home with-” Yang stopped as Weiss held up a hand.

“This was not my decision. This was Lady Blake’s.” She spoke softly. “I serve her, carry out her wishes. If this is what she desires, then I must keep the girl here.” Weiss looked to Yang. “I am sorry. I truly am. She did not even reveal to _me_ why she wants Ruby.”

Yang’s fists balled at her sides, shaking. “I can’t accept that!” This woman saved her life, killed an Ursa for her. How could she blindly follow behind someone like this? “You have to know something, Weiss! What could she possibly want Ruby for? Is there anything I can do to get Ruby home?” There was fury in Yang’s lilac eyes as she spoke.

Weiss looked at Yang thoughtfully as the door creaked open. The maid had returned, tea in tow. She poured the cups in silence, the atmosphere heavy.

“Thank you, Velvet.” Weiss murmured, taking her tea cup from the maid.

Yang refused the tea, pointing an accusing finger at the maid. “Is this why she wants Ruby? She needs another maid?” Velvet shrunk back, brown eyes wide, but Weiss merely let out a humorless laugh.

Yang was not impressed. “Where is Lady Blake?” She demanded. “Why are you here and not her?”

Weiss sipped her tea. “Lady Blake is resting,” she replied simply.

Yang gave Weiss a confused look. “Well, so were you. Why couldn’t Klein wake up Lady Blake if you don’t even know why she wants Ruby?”

Weiss let out an exasperated sigh, pinching the bridge of her nose, setting down her tea cup. She turned to Yang, a tired expression on her face. “Listen… The stable boy said your horse wasn’t doing too well yesterday. I know Klein said you were set to go home tonight, but why don’t you stay tonight, ask her yourself? Maybe work out a deal with her?”

“Work out-” Yang huffed. “Why should I have to work out a deal for my _sister_?”

Weiss placed a hand on one of Yang’s fists, but Yang pulled her fist back angrily. Her lilac eyes welled with tears. “I promised my dad that I would bring her home. I _promised_.”

Weiss stood suddenly, a cold fury in her icy eyes. “I saved your _life_ , Miss Xiao Long. Show some gratitude. Either you can wait for Lady Blake to wake and ask her yourself, or you can leave now. Either way, I tire of both this conversation and of being awake. If you’ll excuse me.” With that, Weiss turned and walked away, leaving the reception room.

Yang crossed her arms and huffed angrily, not satisfied. She looked to Ruby, who had stayed silent through the entire exchange. The young girl was quiet, holding her untouched tea, staring into the empty fireplace. Yang crouched down beside her sister, looking into her silver eyes.

“Ruby? Are you alright?” Yang asked quietly.

Ruby was quiet for a moment, then began to cry, tea spilling out over her tea cup. Velvet rushed forward to clean up the mess as Yang held her sister.

“Ruby, it’s okay. I’m here.” Yang stroked her sister’s hair. “I won’t let them keep you here.”

Ruby grabbed her sister’s hand and looked into Yang’s eyes. “Yesterday, when Lady Blake and I were talking, she asked… She asked me if I like it here.” Ruby took a deep breath in. “Of course I said yes… I mean, it’s a castle. She asked if I wanted to live here. I thought she meant hypothetically, not…” Ruby’s voice trailed off, and she placed a hand in front of her mouth, tears picking back up.

“Ruby… You couldn’t have known.” Yang held Ruby close. “Besides, you never specifically said that you wanted to live her with her today, and you never promised her anything. She can’t keep you here.”

“Yes, she can.” Velvet said quietly. The sisters looked to the maid. “She can keep you both here.” Velvet looked at Yang. “Technically, if Lady Schnee wasn’t serving Lady Belladonna, she could call on _you_ to stay and serve _her_ , as she saved your life. You owe her a blood debt, Miss Xiao Long.”

Yang blanched. A Blood debt? To Weiss? She was grateful to the woman for saving her from the Ursa, but to serve Weiss as she served Lady Blake?

“What can I do?” Yang asked weakly.

Velvet looked at the rag in her hands nervously. “I can’t help you,” she said quietly. She took the empty tea cups away and left the room in a hurry.

Unsure of what else to do, Yang and Ruby headed back to the guest rooms.

\---

Yang and Ruby stayed in bed for hours, holding each other and trying to plan. Neither was quite sure what to expect, but eventually Velvet returned, informing them that Lady Blake is awake, in the reception room waiting for them. The sisters followed the maid, holding each other’s hands for strength.

When they walked into the reception room, the curtains were drawn once more, the fireplace and candles lit. Lady Blake did not look away from the fireplace as the sisters walked into the room. Unsure of what else to do, Yang took a seat in the armchair next to Lady Blake, motioning for Ruby to stay back. They sat in silence for a pregnant moment.

“So,” Lady Blake began. “The young one wants to leave.”

“Yes.” Yang nodded. She couldn’t bring herself to be as outwardly angry as she had been earlier, but a fire still shone adamantly in her lilac eyes.

Lady Blake turned to Yang, regarding the young woman. “She came upon my castle- both of you did, actually- and requested my aid, and I opened my castle gates to her. I have shown nothing but kindness to the both of you. Yet here you two are, spurning my simple request.” She set a delicate hand down on the arm rest, drumming her fingers.

“We thank you for your kindness, Lady Blake, don’t get me wrong,” Yang started carefully, watching the Lady’s golden eyes narrow. “But the fact of the matter is, I promised my father that I would bring Ruby home, so she simply can’t stay here. That’s that.”

“Is that so?” Lady Blake’s mouth curled up into a wicked smile. “I have a dilemma on my hands, Miss Xiao Long. You see, Weiss has served me for far longer than necessary, and I believe it is high time for her to return to her life as a Lady herself. In her absence, I will need another young woman as my... _personal assistant_ , one to groom as a lady of the court.” Lady Blake turned her predatory gaze to Ruby, who flinched away. “Ruby is quite the dear, and I have no doubt that she would make an excellent Lady. Indeed, ‘Lady Rose’ does sound rather nice, does it not?” Lady Blake sat back, pleased with herself.

Yang went from confused to furious. “That doesn’t even make sense! If you want to make another Lady, why not Velvet?” Yang pointed at the maid, who shied away into the shadows.

Lady Blake sighed. “Indeed, I have tried, but the dear is rather skittish. Much like a rabbit, while a Lady needs to be stronger. A panther, a wolf, a dragon. Something that doesn’t cower in fear.” Lady Blake waved her hand dismissively. “Besides, she detests the ways of the courts, much preferring to make tea and be a maid. Isn’t that right, dear?” Velvet blushed in the corner and looked down at her shoes, seemingly embarrassed to prefer being a maid to being a Lady.

Yang turned back to Lady Blake. “You can’t keep us here.” She stood. “I’m taking Ruby home. Thank you for your hospitality, Lady Blake, but we’re leaving.”

Lady Blake simply smiled. “Have a lovely night, darlings,” she said with a wave.

Yang huffed and grabbed Ruby’s arm, yanking her sister along as she led the way out of the castle. In the foyer, she looked around, then realized she had no idea where the stables were. She cursed under her breath.

“Yang…” Ruby whispered.

“Don’t worry Ruby, we just have to find the stables.” Yang walked to the front door, creaking it open.

“Yang. She said have a good night.” Ruby stated.

Yang looked out into the skyline. The sun was setting.

If they left now, the Grimm would kill them.

Yang let out a scream of frustration, punching the wooden doorframe. It was sturdier than she realized, and she brought back a fist with bloodied knuckles. She felt the urge to scream, to kick, to stomp her feet, to throw a tantrum. Instead, she took in a deep breath and ran a hand through her hair, blood staining the strands as she thought.

“Yang… Are you alright?” Ruby held her sister’s bicep.

Yang sighed and looked at Ruby.

“Yeah, Ruby, I’m fine. I think I can get you home.”

\---

The sisters walked back to the reception room, Yang striding ahead purposefully.

“Back so soon?” Lady Blake teased as the pair walked in. Yang wasn’t having any of it. She walked around to Lady Blake’s armchair and slammed her fist onto the armrest. Lady Blake’s eyebrows rose slowly.

“I have a proposition for you Lady Blake.” Yang said. “You let Ruby go. Take me instead.”

Ruby cried out as Lady Blake laughed, clapping in delight. “My, what an offer! Why this proposition?”

Yang steadied her breathing. “I promised my dad that Ruby would come home safely.” Yang left out the part where she also promised that _she_ would be with Ruby. “And I do owe a blood debt to Weiss. It makes more sense for me to have to say than for Ruby.”

Lady Blake leaned back and regarded Yang. Even with their bath earlier, Yang realized the disparity between the sisters- Yang’s golden hair was wild and unkempt, her riding boots dusty, and she wore trousers instead of a dress. Ruby, on the other hand, wore a sweet corseted dress, and her hair was usually in adorable braids. Yang just had to hope that Lady Blake would see reason in her arguments.

Lady Blake finished her appraisal of Yang’s body and stood, causing Yang to take a few steps back.

“Very well, Miss Xiao Long. I accept your offer.” She smiled and turned to Ruby.

“Miss Rose, you are to return home tomorrow. Until then, the night is yours.”

With that, Lady Blake walked away, leaving the sisters in silence.


	9. Ruby's Warning

Ruby decided to spend her last day in the castle with her sister. Yang took her sister out into the garden, where the two sat in silence, staring at the flowers. Ruby held tightly onto Yang’s hand.

Yang sighed and looked up to the waning moon. “I’ll come home when I can,” she promised.

Ruby looked up. She had been crying. “You’ll visit us?” She asked, pawing away tears from her silver eyes.

Yang shook her head. “I’m not staying here.” Her eyebrows came together in determination. “I promised dad I’d come home, so I will. You tell him that.” Yang turned to her younger sister. “Don’t worry about me. I’ll wait until they don’t expect it, then sneak away during the day so the Grimm can’t get me.” She smiled a lopsided grin. “I’ll be fine. Just trust me, sis.”

Ruby sighed and hugged an arm around Yang’s waist, resting her head on Yang’s shoulder. “Be careful, Yang.” She whispered.

Yang raised her hand up and ruffled Ruby’s hair. “That’s what I should be telling you! You’re the one leaving tomorrow, squirt!” she laughed. Ruby backed away, not in the mood for games.

“Yang, I’m serious. I don’t know how to explain it, but…” she steadied her breath. “There’s something _wrong_ with this place.” Ruby grabbed onto Yang’s hands and held them tightly in her own. “Please. Be _careful_. I don’t know what’s going on here, but something’s changed since yesterday. The caste itself feels… _different_.” Ruby glanced back at the castle and shuddered.

Yang followed her gaze. She wasn’t quite sure what Ruby meant, the castle felt the same to her. She looked back to her little sister. “What do you mean? How does it feel different?”

Ruby shifted uncomfortably. “I don't know, I just… I don’t feel _welcome_ anymore.”

Yang couldn’t help but laugh, causing Ruby to become distressed. “I know Lady Blake said you have to leave tomorrow, but really? The _castle itself_ wants you to leave?” Yang shook her head.

Ruby puffed out her cheeks and crossed her arms. “I’m serious, Yang! It’s weird!”

“Alright, Ruby. I don’t plan on staying here that long, anyway.” Yang laughed, wiping a tear from her eye. Suddenly, more appeared, and Yang had a harder time keeping them at bay. Ruby began to cry as well. The sisters held each other, neither wanting Ruby to leave tomorrow. _’Today, I guess,’_ Yang thought bitterly, looking up at the night sky. She sighed and cleared the tears away from her eyes.

“Come on Ruby, let’s get out of here.” Yang didn’t want to be in the garden any more. Looking at the black blooms made her think of Lady Blake, of her sinister plans. Yang crinkled her nose at the ‘Black Magic’ or ‘Dark Magic’ or whatever Lady Blake had called the tulips. The sisters stood and made their way through the garden, walking back to the rear porch to the dining room. As they exited the garden, Yang glanced over to the poisoned flowers. She stopped in her tracks.

Lady Blake stood before the small plot, head bowed. She did not look up. With the moon overhead, Yang looked closely at the flowers before Lady Blake.

Belladonnas.

\---

Ruby and Yang spent the rest of their time together in their rooms. Velvet brought them a midnight meal and a breakfast, for which the girls were grateful.

Neither of them were keen on visiting Lady Blake and Weiss in the dining room below.

Holding Ruby’s head in her lap as the girl napped after a long cry, Yang eyed the stack of books on the table. Ozpin’s _On Monsters_ looked back at her. Yang sighed. She was incredibly interested in what this Ozpin had theorized about the Grimm wandering around in the woods outside the castle walls, but she had to be smart. Grudgingly, she pushed _On Monsters_ to the side and picked up _Miss Manners_ , hoping to get a head start on becoming a Lady. She spied _Ninjas of Love_ now exposed from its hiding place, and quickly placed _On Monsters_ on top before cracking open _Miss Manners_.

Ruby slept until sunrise, Yang reading and rolling her eyes at Miss Manner’s courtly advice. Yang was about ready to chuck _Miss Manners_ against the wall when Ruby began to stir. Yang thankfully set the book down, stroking her sister’s hair.  
“Morning, sleepyhead. How was your nap?” she asked.

Ruby mumbled unintelligibly, stretching her limbs out with a yawn. Then she jerked up. Tears began to well in the corners of her eyes. “Yang…” she started.

Yang brought her in for a hug. “Don’t worry about me, Ruby. I’ll be fine.” She felt Ruby’s arms tighten around her, and Yang laughed. “I mean, they just want to make me a _Lady_ , it’s not all bad.”

Ruby came back from the hug. “I know, just… Come back home as quickly as you can, okay? I have a bad feeling about this.” She looked into Yang’s eyes, her silver eyes wide with worry.

Yang extended her fist, pinky finger out. “Pinky swear,” Yang promised.

Ruby smiled half-heartedly and connected her own pinky with Yang’s, and the sisters shook their hands with pinkies entwined.

\---

Yang didn’t cry as the blue-haired stable boy, Neptune, saddled Crescent up for Ruby. She didn’t cry as Ruby mounted Crescent, and she even wore a large smile and waved to her sister as Ruby left, arm around an upset Weiss’ shoulders. She didn’t cry as she walked back up the stairs, told Weiss to sleep well, and walked into her room. It wasn’t until she hit the bed that the tears fell.

The sobs racked her body as she replayed the image of her sister riding away in her mind. Ruby was gone, and once again, she was alone. She closed the curtains, not wanting to watch the sun crawl across the sky, not wanting to think about riding home with Ruby. She smiled bitterly to herself. At least her dad would get one daughter back. The one that belonged to Summer.

The sobs started again.

\---

She was awoken hours later from a nap she hadn’t realized she was taking by a startled Velvet. “Miss Xiao Long, it is time for the first meal of the night, but… You look awful. Shall I inform Lady Belladonna and Lady Schnee that you will not be in attendance?” The maid looked nervous.

Yang sighed. “No, no, I’m fine. Tell them I’ll be there in a minute.” Yang wiped her face with her hands and reached for her dusty riding boots. Velvet coughed politely, drawing Yang’s attention.

“If you do insist on attending, might I suggest… Better dress, perhaps?” Velvet smiled weakly, pointing to a door in the corner of the room. “And washing your face with water? Your eyes are rather…” Her voice trailed off.

Yang looked down at her clothes. Her riding boots that she loved so much were dusty and caked in mud at the bottoms. Her riding pants and shirt were also in rough condition. She didn’t even want to know how her face and hair looked after a night of crying for her sister and her father. She turned to Velvet sheepishly. “Can you… tell them that I’ll be at the next one? Then draw up a bath for me?” She felt a blush rise in her face.

Velvet nodded, no judgement on her face. She briskly left the room as Yang crawled out of bed. Yang looked over her shoulder at the bed. There was dust all over the sheets. She felt shame rise in her cheeks. She would have to apologize to Velvet when the maid returned. Yang turned to the door in the corner, wondering what might beyond. She padded over, barefoot, and cautiously opened the door.

Inside lie a grand dressing room. Gowns of all designs, materials, and colors lined the walls. Yang set a hand out, marveling at the feel of the fabric beneath her hands. She had never been a huge fan of wearing dresses, as it hampered her ability to run and ride, and they rarely came with pockets, yet even she had to admit that these dresses were lovely. Experimentally, she pulled a silky golden gown down, hanging it in front of her body.

The dress was low-cut, with flared sleeves, and a ruched, corseted bodice. It was stunning. She held the skirt out with one hand, holding the hanger up to her chest with the other, imagining how lovely she might look in the dress. Yang hung it back up and grabbed another, a black number. This one was shorter, girly, and she could imagine Ruby wearing it. Her heart panged with sadness, and she shoved it back up quickly. She took down a red dress and held it out, inspecting it. This one had a deep v-neck, and the corset was tied in the front, very sultry. The sleeves were short, though the bottom was long and elegant. Yang recognized the dress. It was the dress that the woman with the sad eyes and the Grimm mask wore in the painting downstairs. Yang stared, confused.

A knock on the door startled her. “Velvet?” She guessed. “Is the bath ready?”

The door opened and Lady Blake entered. She wore a simple black satin dress, the sleeves connected to rings on her middle fingers, while the tops of the sleeves were open to reveal her arms beneath. The scooped neckline showed a nice slice of the top of her bust, and the material hugged her curvy frame well, showing off her body in all the right ways.

“Your bath will be ready momentarily.” She eyed the red dress. “My, is _that_ what you’re wearing? Wait until your mother finds out.” She purred.

Yang blushed and pushed the sexy red dress back into the closet. “I was just looking- the color caught my eye- I think the gold one is best actually-” she stuttered, trying to explain herself.

Lady Blake laughed. “I’m teasing, dear. You may wear whatever you wish.” She looked at the red dress. “I’m sure Raven wouldn’t mind if you wore her old dress.”

Yang gawked. “You’re sure… _who_?”

Lady Blake turned quizzically to Yang. “Raven? Oh, she’s a friend of mine. Around the same age as you, I suspect. That was her dress, but she didn’t want it anymore and left it here.” Lady Blake gestured to the red dress. Yang let out a deep breath. Of course. It’s not like there was only one Raven in the world. And this Raven was supposedly around the same age as Yang, which her mother clearly could not be.

“What troubles you, Miss Xiao Long?” Lady Blake placed a hand on Yang’s arm. Yang looked into her golden eyes, expecting to see that predatory gaze, but was surprised to be met with genuine concern.

“Oh, it’s nothing, just…” She let out a deep breath. “My mother’s name was Raven, so when you said ‘Raven wouldn’t mind if you borrowed her dress’…”

Lady Blake blinked in surprise, then narrowed her eyes at Yang. “I see. Well, as I said, my friend is around your age, so no need to be startled.” Lady Blake turned away. “Come. Let us go to the bath.”

Now it was Yang’s turn to blink in surprise. Let _us_ go to the bath?

She had no choice but to follow behind as Lady Blake led the way across the hall to the guest bathroom.


	10. Virgin Sacrifice

In the grand bathroom, Velvet had just finished drawing up the bath. The room was bathed in steam, hanging by the ceiling, warming the room as the maid poured an elixir into the tub. As she stirred, bubbles appeared in the water, and the air grew thick with the scent of roses.

“Alright, Miss Xiao Long.” Lady Blake said, hands on her hips. “Strip.”

Yang turned to the dark woman, a blush working its way up to her face. “Wh-what? Wh-Why do- What- Why- I don’t-” Her heartbeat began to speed up.

Lady Blake sighed. “Did I stutter, Miss Xiao Long?” Yang shook her head, and Lady Blake snapped her fingers. “I thought not. Now. _Strip_.”

Yang slowly worked her dusty clothes off as Lady Blake wrinkled her nose in disgust. “Velvet, after the girl is dressed, _dispose of those_.” Lady Blake beckoned Yang forward as the maid bowed.

Yang stepped forward hesitantly, hands covering her body. She had never been naked in front of anyone before, aside from family. Lady Blake sighed and pulled Yang’s arms down to her sides, causing Yang’s heart to race even faster.

Lady Blake stood back and took Yang’s face in first. She tucked a strand of golden hair behind Yang’s ear tenderly. “Lovely face. High cheekbones, good eye shape. _Stunning_ color. Though your eyebrows need work. Nose could be better, but it’s not terrible...” She traced a finger over Yang’s lower lip. “Good lips. Nice natural color, you won’t need too much lipstick.” Turning Yang’s head, she inspected further. “Ears already pierced, good. Shapely neck.” She pulled a lock of Yang’s hair forward. “Rather coarse. This will need some deep conditioning. Beautiful natural color, though.”

Lady Blake looked down at Yang’s naked body. Yang instinctively moved her arms up to cover herself, but Lady Blake gently pushed her arms back down. “Calm down, Miss Xiao Long. We’re all women here.” Yang nodded, still a little scared. Lady Blake continued her assessment. “Rather wide shoulders, you’ll need wider dresses. Muscular arms, as well. We may have problems with some of the tighter sleeves.” Lady Blake sighed. “And your breasts, they are quite large."

Yang placed her arms protectively around her breasts, and Lady Blake laughed. “Trust me, young one, you may think they’re nice now, but you’ll hate them once you’re older. Best take good care of them now, because they will start to sag before you know it.” 

Yang blushed deeply, looking down at her cupped breasts. She hadn’t _tried_ to get them to grow so large, that was just how her body had happened to grow. She sighed and lowered her arms, letting Lady Blake continue.

“Slim waist… Lovely hips… Wonderful legs… Oh my, such large feet…” Lady Blake chuckled and began to walk around to Yang’s posterior. “Muscled back, dear me… At least your bum is shapely.” She finished her circle around Yang and looked the younger woman in the eye. “I do say, Miss Xiao Long, you are a diamond in the rough. With a nice bath, some _real_ clothing, and some lessons, I do say that you can indeed become a lady of the court.” Lady Blake smiled proudly.

Yang let out a breath and crossed her arms in front of her chest, much to Lady Blake’s amusement. “I just took a bath yesterday.” She reminded the lady.

“Ah yes, you and your sister did splash around in the water for a bit, didn’t you,” Lady Blake placed a single delicate finger to her chin. “Today, I shall have Velvet bathe you, and my personal stylist will dress you and make you up.” She smiled, a cat-like grin that Yang was slowly growing accustomed to seeing. “We shall see how you clean up."

Lady Blake began to walk away. Yang thought for a minute, then turned, flushing. “Lady Blake, wait!” The Lady stopped, turning very slightly, acknowledging the younger woman. Yang took in a deep breath. “How do you… Um… Keep your…” she turned beet red.

Lady Blake’s smile grew. Yang couldn’t help but look at the older woman’s chest as she turned back and walked to Yang. Her breasts weren’t as large as Yang’s, but they certainly weren’t small, either. Yang wondered how they looked, if they were as they had been when Lady Blake was younger or if they had began to sag, as she had warned Yang. Lady Blake gently poked Yang’s breast, drawing her away from the older woman’s breasts.

“My secret?” She purred. “ _Moisturizer."_

\---

Unlike her previous bath with Ruby, the bath with Velvet had been a rough one- literally. Yang had been scrubbed from head to toe by the maid with a rough sponge that Ruby had thrown across the room last time for being too hard. However, to the maid’s credit, there had been a lot of dirt that had come off, and the water was quite filthy by the time Velvet had finished with Yang. She had even massaged the shampoo into Yang’s scalp, which not only smelled wonderful, but felt like heaven. After the bath, Yang thought she was done, but Velvet had several moisturizers to soothe into her skin- one for the face to prevent wrinkles, another for the hands to make callouses go away, and of course one for breasts to keep them supple and soft.

Yang made a mental note to find a way to repay the maid for her kindness.

After the bath, Yang and Velvet went back to the guest suite to find a strange woman sitting on the couch. Upon their entrance, the woman stood, walking briskly over to Yang. She wore a corset over a shirt not unlike the one Yang had previously worn with her riding gear, though she wore a brown scarf wrapped around her neck, matching the color of her short skirt. Her brown hair was braided over her shoulder, the tip of the braid fading to blonde. The woman extended her hand to Yang.

“Coco Adel,” she said simply as Yang shook her hand. She looked at Yang, wrapped up in one towel, hair wrapped up in another. She hmmed and hahed, then led the way to the dressing room. Unexpectedly, she picked a white gown with a large, puffed skirt, a low neckline, and short sleeves. Yang was taken aback.

“Are you sure…? I don’t think white’s really my-” Yang started, but Coco handed the dress to Velvet.

“Put her in the dress, Vel. I’ll go get the makeup ready.” With that, Coco left the dressing room, and Yang watched her leave, confused. Until Velvet yanked off her towel.

Yang spun back around, arms covering herself. “Hey, slow down there! What are you doing?” She sputtered.

Velvet blinked. “Miss Xiao Long, I’ve already seen you naked in the bath. No need for modesty now.” She held up a silky white slip. “Now are you going to let me put this lovely dress on you, or not?”

It was hard for Yang not to trust that smile, so she let the maid assist her in getting dressed. The slip was no issue, but as Velvet buttoned up the dress, Yang realized why rich people had maids help them get dressed. This would certainly be a tedious task, if not an impossible one, had she been alone.

Once the dress was on, Yang and Velvet walked back into the guest living room, where Coco waited with her makeup. The stylist looked Yang up and down in the white dress, then nodded to herself, pleased. She sat Yang down on the couch and sat herself on the table, spreading her legs around Yang’s and leaning forward to get to work. True to Lady Blake’s words, there was indeed work to be done on Yang’s eyebrows, and Coco spent a painful while plucking them, leaving Yang tearing as Coco applied the makeup.

“No crying during makeup,” Coco scolded. “You’ll ruin your eyeliner.” Velvet kindly held out her handkerchief, which Yang used to dab her tears away. She smiled to the maid in thanks as she handed the handkerchief back. “Vel, go get those white shoes.” Coco instructed as she finished up the makeup. “You know the ones, the big ones with the nice heel-” 

“I know the ones,” Velvet interrupted, turning and bustling back to the dressing room. She returned quickly with a lovely white pair of shoes, ones that looked big enough to fit Yang’s feet.

“Try these on,” Coco handed the heels to Yang.

Yang had never liked high heels, much preferring the small heels of riding boots, but she slipped her feet into the white shoes anyway, placing a steadying hand on Velvet’s shoulder. Luckily, the shoes fit. Yang let out a sigh of relief.

Coco clapped happily. "It's like the dress and shoes were made for you."

Velvet’s eyes sparkled. “You’re lovely, Miss Xiao Long,” the maid sighed.

Yang laughed. “I’ll just have to take your word for it.”

Coco opened her mouth and looked above the fireplace, then closed her mouth. Yang followed her gaze. There was a sheet hanging down from something. Coco stepped forward and yanked the sheet down, revealing the mirror behind. Yang had forgotten about it, but now she looked at her own reflection.

She _was_ lovely.

The dress looked as though it had been tailored just for her, and Velvet had done a good job getting her clean. Better yet was Coco’s makeup job. Yet beneath it all was _her_ , regular old Yang, and somehow she was this _beautiful_. She had never realized that there was such a gorgeous young woman beneath the dirt and the horse dirt.

Then she felt shameful. Was she wrong to feel so vain? She wasn’t sure how to feel. She turned to Coco and Velvet and thanked them, wobbling out of the guest living room and slowly making her way down the stairs and down to the hallway leading to the reception room.

She wasn’t keen on walking too slowly through the hallway, but that was the only way that she knew of to get to the reception room. She took a deep breath for courage, and walked on. She avoided the eyes of the pale woman with white hair and black sclera, not wanting to meet those strange eyes. She looked up instead to the sad woman with the sad red eyes and messy black hair, whose dress she had held earlier. She paused in front of the painting, looking into the woman’s eyes. So, this woman was _also_ Raven.

Yang shook her head and continued on, walking to the end of the hall. The doors were closed, but she could hear voices on the other side. Curious, she silently turned the crystal handle and gently eased the door open a crack, peeking in.

She first spied Weiss, sitting in the seat that she and Ruby had occupied the night prior. “Oh? Exciting news for me?” Weiss asked.

A dark hand reached out and gave Weiss a letter. So Lady Blake was in there as well, in her usual seat. The two were just having a nice chat by the fire. Still, Yang couldn’t help but eavesdrop.

Weiss looked over the letter, seriously at first, then her eyebrows slowly began to rise and her face began to brighten. “Lady Blake..! You don’t mean..!” Weiss looked between her mistress and the letter, unsure.

Yang heard Lady Blake laugh. “Yes, my dear. The queen has sanctioned it herself. I am so proud of you, Weiss.” Lady Blake reached out and held Weiss’ hand in her own.

Weiss placed her hand over her mouth as she began to cry, overjoyed. Yang, on the other hand, was confused. As far as she had remembered, Ironwood had never married. Who was the Queen they spoke of?

Weiss fanned her face with the letter, laughing. “When? Oh, I shall have to tell Klein! He will be overjoyed, he has been waiting for this for so long-”

“Unfortunately, not for a while, my dearest.” Lady Blake sighed. “For you see, we cannot proceed with this until Miss Xiao Long is proper lady.” She leaned forward in her seat and looked to the crack in the door.

“Proper ladies _do not_ eavesdrop, Miss Xiao Long.”


	11. Side Saddle

AN: I don't actually ride side saddle, sorry if it's wrong/weird to purists

\---

Yang stepped back from the door in surprise. How had Lady Blake known she was there? She hadn’t made too much noise coming down the hall, and she was careful to be quiet opening the door.

“Come in, Miss Xiao Long. You’ve heard enough already, might as well join the conversation.” Lady Blake called from the reception room. Yang steeled her nerves, clenching her fist, and opened the doors. Weiss gave her a cold look, standing.

“How _dare_ you, _loitering_ in the hall like some _common criminal_ ,” Weiss huffed, stomping her foot like a child throwing a tantrum. “I can’t _believe_ this, this was supposed to be a special moment and you _ruined_ it by sneaking around-”

Lady Blake held up a hand, cutting Weiss off. “Manners, Weiss.” She reminded the pale woman. Weiss huffed and crossed her arms, tossing her off-centered ponytail, but sat down.

“Well… Congratulations, Weiss.” Yang tried a smile, but the woman glared icy daggers back. Yang looked down at her high heels, nervous, wishing she was at least in her riding boots for comfort.

Lady Blake narrowed her golden gaze, looking back and forth between her two Ladies. “You two must not be like this,” she declared. “You must make up. Miss Xiao Long, apologize for eavesdropping.”

“Uh, right, okay.” Yang turned to Weiss. “I’m sorry for eavesdropping.”

Weiss looked unamused, and Lady Blake scoffed. “That was _not_ an apology. This is the woman who saved your life from an Ursa, have you forgotten?” With those words, Weiss’ chest puffed out a bit. “Now please, Yang, with feeling. Give Weiss a _real_ apology, because you mean it, not because I’m telling you to.” Her yellow eyes bored into Yang’s.

Yang gulped and turned back to Weiss. “I’m sorry, Weiss. I was rude for eavesdropping. I won’t do it again.” She clasped her hands in front of her, nervous.

Weiss stared for a second, then nodded, seemingly satisfied. Lady Blake smiled and turned to Weiss. “Now Weiss, you are aware that Miss Xiao Long is the daughter of a stablemaster, yes?” Weiss nodded cautiously, and Lady Blake beamed. “Wonderful. Then you will have no problem teaching her to ride side-saddle, correct?”

Both Weiss and Yang blanched. _Side saddle_? Side saddle was for prissy girls, for the rich ones that came through for festivals and lived in castles and… ‘ _Right_ ,’ Yang thought to herself, ‘ _I have to be one of those women now_.’

Weiss was the one to actually protest. “Surely there could be a better use of my time-” she started, only to be cut off by Lady Blake’s hand once more.

“No, I have decided.” Lady Blake declared. “After the midnight meal, you two will go together, and you will teach Miss Xiao Long to ride side saddle. Am I understood?” She smiled to Weiss, who stood silently for a moment, then nodded.

“Yes, Lady Blake.”

\---

“Sitting astride is difficult in a dress, and by sitting side saddle with your leg over the pommel and keeping your leg down the side of the horse’s shoulder, you can actually have a decent amount of control.” Weiss trotted her white steed, Winter, with a special side saddle to show Yang and the stable boy, Neptune, how it was done.

Yang rolled her eyes. “Just wear pants,” She suggested. “You get pockets and you don’t have to deal with these stupid saddles.” She gestured to the side saddle that Weiss sat on. Neptune chuckled, hand over his mouth, but Weiss was not amused.

“ _Ladies_ do not wear pants, Miss Xiao Long, we wear _dresses_.” She explained.

Yang raised her hand. “What about skirts? Those aren’t dresses, can we wear those?”

Neptune laughed out loud as Weiss grew even more impatient. Yang simply grinned a lopsided grin.

“Neptune!” Weiss barked.

The blue-haired stable boy stood at attention. “Yes, Miss Schnee!”

“Will you _please_ outfit Miss Xiao Long’s steed with a side saddle.”

Neptune saluted Weiss and turned on his heel, but he snickered and shook his head as he walked behind Yang. Weiss urged Winter to stand in front of Yang, where Weiss looked down condescendingly.

“You think you’re clever, do you?” Weiss sneered.

“It was just a question.” She shuffled her feet in her riding boots. Luckily, Velvet was kind enough to clean them for her when she heard of the riding lesson, and Coco prepared a riding dress for Yang.

“Listen closely, Miss Xiao Long, for your own good.” Weiss leaned down as far as her saddle would allow. “Do not vex me, for I am not pleasant when I am vexed. Worse than myself, however, is Lady Blake. Guard your tongue, and learn to speak like a Lady. Lady Blake is _far_ more patient than I, but even she will tire of you if you do not shape up soon, and I am nothing compared to her.” Yang stared at the pale woman as she sat back in her saddle and shuddered, afraid of what Lady Blake was like when she was angry.

Neptune returned a moment later, leading Shadow with a side saddle, smile fading as sensed the tense atmosphere. He looked to Yang with a curious look, but she just shook her head and sighed, approaching Shadow’s left side and placing a hand on his neck so he knew she was there. She drew herself up onto the saddle and threw her right leg astride out of habit, upsetting the saddle’s balance and earning a _tsk tsk_ from Weiss. Yang worked her calf muscles as she drew her right leg back up and over Shadow’s back, earning a look from the horse.

“Oh, don’t look at me like that,” she muttered to him, finally getting her knee in the right place and bringing her right leg down. Neptune grinned as she talked to her horse. “Don’t pretend you don’t talk to them,” she said.

“I won’t. He’s just difficult, but I thought he might behave for you.” He chuckled as Shadow shifted uncomfortably. “I guess I was wrong.”

Weiss trotted Winter over. “Good. Now fix your posture, Ladies don’t slouch.” Yang straightened her back. “And quit gripping with your left leg so hard.”

Yang sputtered. “I’ll fall off!”

“Don’t you trust him?” Weiss shot back.

“I trust him in a _regular_ saddle, but I don’t think he likes this one!” Yang motioned down to Shadow’s head, hung low, as though he was pondering his place in the world.

Weiss tossed her head, ponytail flipping. “You’ll be fine. Trust him.” Neptune offered Yang Shadow’s reins, which Yang took gently.

She took a deep breath in and slowly relaxed her left leg. She didn’t fall. She let out a sigh of relief.

“Posture, Miss Xiao Long, square your hips.” Weiss reminded her.

Yang sat back up, but in doing so, her left leg tightened once more. Shadow looked back at Yang, used to being spurred onward when she tightened both knees at the same time, confused as to why she only had her legs on one side and if he should move.

Neptune looked up at Yang. “Think you’re ready to start moving?” Yang gripped her reins righter, knuckles turning white, but she nodded. Neptune handed Yang a long cane, which Yang held in her right hand as Weiss had showed her.

“Watch me now, this is how to start and how to stop.” Weiss lightly tapped Winter with the cane to urge her to walk, then tapped her a different way to have her stop. Yang and Neptune then practiced walking Shadow with the cane, Yang tapping and Neptune leading, so that Shadow would associate the taps with walking or with stopping. After a few rounds, both Yang and Shadow were used to walking and stopping with the saddle, and Weiss taught them the commands for turning and trotting as well.

“What about cantering?” Yang asked after Shadow got the hang of trotting.

“We can practice that another time,” Weiss promised, dismounting. Surprised at herself, Yang was actually a little disappointed that the lesson was over already. Following Weiss’ lead, Yang dismounted the same way, and her eyebrows rose.

“Wow… That actually hurts my knees _less_ than dismounting astride.” Yang commented.

“I know,” Weiss said. “The stirrups are closer to the ground.” She waved a hand as she walked back to the castle.

Neptune had started to take both horses back to the stable, so Yang jogged after him, taking Shadow’s lead. “You don’t mind, do you?” she asked.

Neptune smiled and shook his head. “I was honestly wondering how long it would take you to come visit this brat.”

Yang laughed and petted Shadow’s nose. “He may be a brat, but he’s my brat. And yeah, I know, he’s where the phrase ‘stubborn as a horse’ comes from.” That made Neptune laugh, and Yang smiled. She liked Neptune. Not just because he worked with horses, but because he seemed honest.

A thought wormed its way into her mind.

Maybe he could help her escape?

She looked back to the blue-haired boy. He was looking up at the stars smiling to himself. He seemed nice, maybe he would help her?

The two walked into the barn, Neptune leading Winter first. “Shadow’s stall is right there,” he said pointing across the barn’s hall from Winter’s stall. Yang easily undid the door’s latch and led Shadow inside. There was fresh bedding on the floor, a trough at her hip’s height full of water, and a bucket with a small layer of good quality oats at the bottom in the stall.

“Well buddy, looks like your room’s even better than mine,” Yang joked to Shadow. “Wanna trade?”

The black horse snorted and stomped his hoof, immediately going for the oats that were left as soon as Yang took his bridle off. Yang laughed. “Never change, Shadow. Never change.” She slinked out of the stall, locking the door behind her, and hung the bridle and lead up on the wall. When she looked to Winter’s stall, Neptune was standing with his arms crossed, eyebrows furrowed.

“Got a curry comb?” she asked.

He looked even more taken aback, reaching up to scratch his head, then stopped, remembering the horse dirt on his hands. “Where… Did you learn this? To take care of horses?” He asked.

“My dad’s the stable master for The local lord,” Yang explained with a shrug. “I guess I just picked it up.”

Neptune nodded, leading her to the equipment room. “Have you… Do you work with him? For the lord?”

“No, they haven’t had an opening for a stable hand in years. But my dad did say that next time there’s an opening, he’d bring me in if he could get the approval.” Yang said. The equipment room was nice, a comfortable chair in the corner with a hay bale for a foot rest, the walls lined with brushes, bridles, leads, saddles, and blankets. Neptune had even made a chart of the barn, writing the names of all the horses that were in the barn. Yang peeked at it as she grabbed a curry comb. She spied Shadow and Winter, as well as Crescent, who was now crossed out, but she didn’t recognize the other names. She was about to turn away when she realized she _had_ recognized a name.

In the bottom corner, now crossed out, in Neptune’s handwriting, was the name Stark.

Uncle Qrow’s horse.


	12. Stark

Yang’s mouth went dry as she stared at the crossed-out name. _Stark_. There was no doubt, that was name. Not Stork, not Starb, not anything. It was Stark.

Uncle Qrow had been here.

But when? And why?

“Yang? Are you okay?” She turned and looked at Neptune, who was staring at her with concern on his face. “Do you need me to move Shadow or something?”

“No, actually…” Yang pointed to Stark’s name. “Do you… know anything about this horse? Or the rider?”

Neptune walked over and peered at the sheet. “Oh, Stark? She was a good mare. Pretty. White. Bigger than Winter, though, and she was a traveler.” He turned to Yang. “Why?”

Yang swallowed. “Can you remember the rider?” she asked hopefully.

Neptune scratched the back of his head, closing one eye and looking up to the left. “Mmmm… Not really… Just some guy. He was kinda weird, he had red eyes.” Neptune shrugged. “He wasn’t even here for that long, maybe a night. I think he had business with Lady Blake or something. I don’t remember, that was… a few years back? I think?” Neptune shrugged again, shaking his head. “Sorry, Yang. I can tell you all about Stark, though.”

“No, that’s fine. Thanks, Neptune.” Yang smiled. Neptune smiled back sheepishly, grabbing a curry comb for Winter. The pair made their way back to the stalls. Neptune showed Yang how to take the side saddle off properly, which Shadow seemed happy to be rid of.  
As the two set to brushing their respective horses, Yang began to try to get information out of Neptune.

“So… How long have you worked here, Neptune?” she asked nonchalantly.

“Oh, since I was a wee lad.” Neptune called from the other stall. The barn was airy, and their voices carried easily. “My parents died when I was young, and I was taken in by a stable master in my home town. Klein found me there, and he brought me to Lady Blake. She let me design this barn myself, you know.”

Yang looked up. “You _designed_ this barn?” she was surprised. “It’s great! It’s even better than the stable I have at home, and my dad’s a stable master!”

Neptune beamed. “Thanks! I worked really hard. I guess the previous stable master wanted to retire, so he showed me around the place and introduced me to all the horses, made sure I was ready for the job before he left.” Neptune smiled to himself. “I’m really grateful to Lady Blake. She pays well, and I get free room and board, and I can ride whenever I want during the day, so long as I’m on standby at night. It’s not bad.”

Yang turned to Neptune. “Don’t you think it’s… weird?” She asked. “About the whole nighttime thing?”

Neptune shrugged. “I did at first, but I get it now. Now that I’m working here, I prefer being awake at night and sleeping during the day, too.” He laughed. “I guess you just haveta get used to it.”

“There’s other weird things, too.” Yang pressed. “Like in the castle, have you noticed there’s no clocks? And all the flowers in Lady Blake’s garden are black? And she has poisonous belladonnas, too!”

Neptune laughed nervously. “I don’t know what you’re talking about, we have clocks in the servant’s wing… And I’ve never been in her garden, but don’t judge Lady Blake for her tastes. She likes darker things, and there’s nothing wrong with that.” He shook his head. “And the belladonnas? That’s her last name, you know.”

Yang started. She had forgotten that Lady Blake was of House Belladonna. She still wasn’t done. “Well, what about-”

“Look, just…” Neptune leaned his chest out of the stall toward Yang and looked back and forth suspiciously. The coast clear, he beckoned Yang and slipped out of the stall, and Yang followed suit. The pair met in the middle of the barn’s hall and Neptune sighed, interlacing his fingers behind his head, elbows out.

“Listen, Lady Blake has done a lot for me, okay?” He whispered. Yang nodded, she could understand that. But she still needed to know.

“But what, Neptune?”

The stable boy ran a hand through his hand and started to walk away, then changed his mind and walked back.

“Yang, Lady Blake is more than she seems. She can help you, like she helped me, like she helped Velvet, like she’s helping Weiss and Klein, but only if you’re good to her. Do _not_ cross her, okay? She’s not like us, she’s…” Neptune’s eyes drifted behind Yang and the color drained from his face. He turned away without saying another word, returning to Winter’s stall to finish brushing the horse down. Yang looked behind her.

At the mouth of the barn sat a cat.

“Neptune, it’s just a cat,” she said. “What were you saying? About Lady Blake?”

Neptune didn’t turn around. “Please leave, Yang. If you know what’s good for you, go back to the castle,” he whispered.

Yang’s eyebrows knitted together in confusion, but she turned away from the blue-haired boy. She made her way back towards the castle, passing the cat on her way out. The cat never looked at her as she passed.

\---

Neither Lady Blake nor Weiss were in the reception room when Yang returned. She checked the dining room as well, but it was also empty. The garden caught Yang’s eye, and she decided to check outside. She walked out into the night, looking to the sky.

Maybe an hour, hour and a half until sunrise. She meandered through the garden, but neither Weiss not Lady Blake were there. Yang sighed and started to make her way back inside, when she remembered the belladonnas.

She looked over at them, remembering how Lady Blake had stood vigil by them the other day. She walked up to them and saw the three stones in the ground, chastising herself for forgetting them. She crouched down to get a better look at the stones. Each held a name.

Ghira Belladonna. Kali Belladonna. Sun Wukong.

Yang tilted her head. Ghira and Kali were likely the older man and woman in the painting, Lady Blake’s parents, but who was this Sun Wukong? And why was he buried with the Belladonnas? Yang shook her head and stood, turning back to the castle.

Velvet stood on the back porch.

Yang waved. “Hey, Velvet! Do you know where Weiss and Lady Blake are?” Yang walked back to the castle, smiling at the maid until she noticed Velvet’s facial expression. “Velvet? What’s wrong?”

“You can go to the gardens, but Lady Blake does not like it when people go to the Belladonna graves.” Velvet said softly. “Please, stay away from them.” She turned around and walked back into the castle. “Breakfast is ready. Have a seat, Miss Xiao Long.”

Yang watched Velvet walk away. With one last glance over her shoulder, she walked into the dining room.

Weiss had been seated already, but Lady Blake was not present yet. Yang took her seat. “Thank you for the riding lessons, Weiss.” She said. “I know I gave you a hard time, but side saddle is actually… Not bad.”

Weiss gave Yang a quick smile. “Don’t think you can butter me up into going easy on you. As I already informed Lady Blake, your form is awful.” She waved her hand dismissively. “It’s something that can be learned with practice. I was thinking that, if you were up to it, perhaps we could go on a trail ride tomorrow night, or the night after.”

Yang beamed. “Are you kidding, Weiss? I would _love_ that!” Yang leaned forward eagerly in her seat. “Let’s go both nights! I need all the practice I can get, right? You said so yourself, my form is awful!”

Weiss couldn’t help but laugh as Yang’s lilac eyes sparkled in anticipation. “My, I sure hope you’re this eager in all your lessons!” she said, wiping a tear from the corner of her eye.

The servant’s door opened, and Klein entered with two plates on his cart. Weiss and Yang looked at Klein expectantly. “Lady Blake has decided to take dinner in her room tonight,” Klein announced, setting down Weiss’ plate. Weiss stood up suddenly, causing the silverware to clatter on the table.

“If she’s taking her meal in her room, then I shall-” She stopped as Klein laid a firm hand on her shoulder and pushed her down to her chair.

“She specifically asked that you oversee Miss Xiao Long’s use of proper silverware, Lady Weiss.” Klein explained.

“If she’s not taking her meal with me, then who is she taking it with?” Weiss asked worriedly. Klein did not answer, merely set down Yang’s plate.

“Is she taking her meal with Neptune, the stable boy?” Yang asked.

Klein looked up, gazing hard into Yang’s eyes. Yang saw cold fire reflected back. “Yes,” Klein said finally.

Weiss turned to Yang. “Thank you, Klein,” she said. The butler bowed and rolled his cart back out through the servant’s entrance.

When he was gone, Weiss set her hands down in her lap. “So. What did you two do?”

Yang shook her head. “Nothing, we were just talking and brushing down the horses.”

“ _BULLSHIT_.” Weiss slammed a fist down onto the table, causing the silverware to dance. “What did you two do? Did you kiss? Did you let him _fuck_ you?” Weiss gritted her teeth.

“Why, are you jealous or something?” Yang felt fire rise in her. She didn’t deserve this.

“No, I am _not_ jealous. I just hope you realize what this means for your boyfriend.” Weiss sat back in her chair and crossed her arms.

“He’s not my boyfriend, we just talked and brushed down the-” Yang stopped. “Wait, what do you mean?”

Weiss laughed bitterly.

“Whatever you two _really_ did, he’s being punished for it.” Weiss stood. “I hope you’re happy with yourself, _Lady_ Xiao Long.”

__Weiss walked away, leaving Yang alone at the table._ _


	13. Grimm Theories

Yang ate about half her breakfast before she lost the stomach for it. She went back up to the second floor, returning to her room, and sat down on the comfortable couch by the fireplace. She picked up _Miss Manners_ in her left hand and _On Monsters_ in her right, looking between the two books. Deciding she had failed manners enough for the day, she set _Miss Manners_ down and flipped _On Monsters_ open to where she had left off.

This Ozpin had organized the book in sections based on common theories around where the Grimm had come from, and within each section were chapters regarding the origins of the beliefs, a factual approach to the belief itself, and a scientific approach to prove or disprove the theory. Yang had to hand it to this Ozpin, she had never read anything quite like this book before. She was familiar with and believed herself in the theory that Grimm were simply the spirits of humans who were bitter in death and were unable to pass into the next life, but she had never heard of some of the other theories- that Grimm were born every time a human was, that Grimm were devils sent from Hell to punish humans for their sins, that Grimm existed alongside humans simply because nature willed it.

In the end, there was no conclusive evidence to show that any one theory was more correct than any other, and Ozpin closed the book saying that no matter what humans chose to believe, the fact remained that Grimm would hunt humans down given the chance. Yang shuddered and closed the book, looking out the window to the night sky.

Unfortunately, she was met with blinding sunlight.

Yang blinked in surprise, not realizing how much time had passed. She looked down at _On Monsters_. It wasn’t a terribly large book, but it had a great deal of content. She must have spent at least 3 hours sitting here, completely entranced. Why hadn’t she noticed how early it was?

Ruby’s words echoed in her mind. There were no clocks in the castle, and time flowed differently here. Was it possible that the castle had made her think that it was still night so that she would keep reading? Yang frowned and looked at the unassuming book, flipping through it. It seemed perfectly ordinary, and while it had been a very good read, there was nothing that Yang thought was life-changing about the book. She sighed and stared at the cover.

A floating Ursa head displayed the words ‘ _On Monsters_ ’, while smaller print beneath read ‘ _Ozpin’s Theories of Grimm_ ’.

_Ozpin_.

Yang stared at the name.

Who was Ozpin? Clearly a scholar, of course, and one who studied the Grimm. He seemed interested in monsters.

A thought popped into her head. ‘ _Maybe he’s written something about Lady Blake?_ ’ she wondered to herself. She stared at the book as she walked to the guest bedroom. ‘ _Tomorrow night, I’ll have to visit the library._ ’ Yang set _On Monsters_ down on the bedside table, crawling into bed.

“Until tomorrow, Ozpin,” she whispered as she closed her eyes.

\---

Velvet woke and dressed Yang the next day, and the two waited in Yang’s living room for Coco to finish with Weiss’ makeup. Yang regarded the maid. She was slim, with doe-like brown eyes. Sweet as can be. Something nagged at the back of Yang’s mind.

“Hey, Velvet, can I ask you something?” Yang asked cautiously.

The maid smiled. “Of course, Miss Xiao Long.”

Yang chewed on her lip. “Why didn’t you want to be a Lady?”

Velvet looked away from Yang quickly, gripping the fabric of her skirts in her hands. “I just… wasn’t meant to be a Lady.” She laughed nervously.

“So you became a maid instead?” Yang asked, one eyebrow raised. “Why didn’t you leave?”

Velvet looked painfully at Yang. “I… I’m not like you, Yang. Lady Blake didn’t take me from my family.” Velvet’s mouth quivered. “She took me from a… from a brothel.” The maid brought her hand up in front of her mouth and looked away. “I stayed here as a maid because I didn’t want to go back, I _begged_ to stay even though I had failed Lady Blake. And she, Lady Blake, she was so kind…” Velvet looked up to the ceiling, tears in her eyes, a fond smile on her lips. “She asked how I would like to stay here. She said she could have me stay in the stables as a stable maid, or in the kitchen as a cook, or in the castle as a housekeeper… I said wherever she needed me, I would stay.” Velvet shook her head and laughed. “She took me on as a maid. A _personal maid_ , with no experience. Other Ladies would have laughed me out of their castles, but Lady Blake let me stay as her own _maid_ , saying I might be too delicate to be a housekeeper.” Velvet turned to Yang, smiling weakly. “I owe her my life, Miss Xiao Long. If it wasn’t for her, I would still be in that brothel, or worse.”

Yang didn’t know what to say. She had assumed that because Velvet was unsuitable as a Lady, Lady Blake had forced her to be a maid, but Yang couldn’t have been farther from the truth. “So, you and Neptune both…”

Velvet shook her head. “Nearly _everyone_ , Miss Xiao Long. Do you know what happened to House Schnee?” Yang shook her head. She remembered the name being familiar, but not being able to place it. “They were the royal family before the Ironwoods. When the Ironwoods took over, they killed the entire family- except the butler and his daughter, who were able to flee under the cover of night. But it turns out it wasn’t his daughter- It was actually the younger daughter of King Schnee.” Velvet stared into Yang’s eyes. “Lady Blake took the butler and the orphaned princess in, and she raised the princess as her own.”

Yang sat back. “So, you mean to tell me, Weiss isn’t actually a _Lady_ , she’s a…” Yang couldn’t say it, but Velvet nodded.

“Weiss is the rightful heir to this country. With Lady Blake’s help, she intends to take down Ironwood. House Belladonna is a small one, but Lady Blake does have a sphere of influence. The one House she can’t convince is House Nikos.” Velvet pointed to Yang. “I don’t pretend to know what they’re planning, but since _your_ father works for Lord Nikos…”

Yang’s eyebrows furrowed together. “She’s going to turn me into a Lady and use me as a pawn for her game.”

Velvet shook her head. “Make no mistake, Miss Xiao Long, this is no game.”

Yang opened her mouth to respond, but Coco knocked on the door and immediately entered. “All right Miss Yang, let’s get you made up,” Coco said, either not noticing or completely ignoring the heavy atmosphere.

\---

Yang made her way downstairs, down the long hall to the reception room. Weiss was seated by the fire, but Lady Blake was nowhere to be seen. Yang was still cautious, as Weiss _had_ to be privy to Lady Blake’s schemes. Yang sat down in Lady Blake’s usual seat, unsure of how to initiate conversation with the princess.

“I’m sorry about last night,” Weiss said, startling Yang. She hadn’t been expecting an apology.

“For what?” Yang asked, not remembering much aside from Ozpin’s theories.

Weiss pinched the bridge of her nose and squeezed her eyes shut. “About what I said to you. What I accused you of. I may have been a little… jealous.” She sighed.

Yang tilted her head. “Jealous of what?” She wasn’t sure what Weiss was getting at.

“Of you and… Neptune.” Weiss looked up to the ceiling. “We’re ladies, so we’re not supposed to consort with stable boys. That’s what I tell myself, to keep myself away from him. Then Lady Blake punished him for something, something regarding _you_ , and you don’t know the rules, so I just… jumped to conclusions.” Weiss bowed her head. “It was wrong of me to assume such things of you. You said you were just talking and brushing down the horses. Given your background, my mind wanted to believe you, but my heart…” Weiss shook her head and looked at Yang. “You have my deepest apologies, Miss Xiao Long.”

Yang was taken aback. She had forgotten all about that, after getting caught up in books about Grimm and the conversation with Velvet. “Oh, um, apology accepted.” Weiss visibly relaxed at Yang’s words. “Do you know if Neptune’s okay, though? I mean, we weren’t talking about anything _bad_ , just how Lady Blake had taken him in and given him a job and such…” Yang leaned her head on her palm, elbow on the chair’s plush arm. She could tell why Lady Blake liked this chair.

“Oh, Neptune’s fine, he just got a scolding.” Weiss waved her hand dismissively, as though she had not just admitted to having feelings for the boy. The powers of being a princess, Yang supposed. “Just don’t go bothering him about that kind of stuff again, or you’ll both be in trouble next time.”

Yang laughed. “I’ll be fine. Neptune said Lady Blake’s nice as long as you don’t cross her, right?”

“Don’t cross her and don’t talk about her when she’s not present.” Weiss shook a finger. “It’s rude to discuss the Lady of the house when she’s not present, you know.”

Yang hadn’t known that. That’s what all the fuss was about? Was Lady Blake afraid that they had been discussing her weight or her breast size? Yang chuckled to herself. Then she remembered staring at Lady Blake’s breasts and her chuckle slowly died as she began to blush. Weiss raised a single eyebrow, but didn’t ask any questions.

“Well, if you have any questions, I suppose you can ask me,” Weiss said, smoothing her off-centered ponytail. “I’ll do my best to answer them." Yang looked at Weiss. She thought about confronting the princess about why Lady Blake had chosen to keep a daughter of Lord Nikos' stable master captive, but decided against it, not wanting to risk the new friendliness Weiss was showing. She remembered _On Monsters_ , sitting on her bedside table.

“Well… Since you offered, are there any books in the library by a writer named ‘Ozpin’?”


	14. Leave the Dead

“ _Ozpin_?” Weiss asked. “Why do you want to read _his_ work? It’s _ancient_!”

Yang blushed. “Oh, I hadn’t realized… There was just this book in the guest room by him, and it was interesting, and I wondered if he had any other books…” Yang trailed off.

“Well, he certainly _does_ have more books. Quite a few, in fact. If you want to read them all, you’ll be in the library for a _long_ time,” Weiss explained.

“Oh, so he wrote a lot of books?” Yang asked hopefully. “And they’re in the library?”

“Yes. He’s a friend of Lady Blake’s, so he always gives her a copy of his books.” Weis sighed. “When he comes here for the party, don’t start on a conversation with him. He’ll go on and on all night.”

“The… party?” Yang asked.

“Oh, Lady Blake hasn’t had a moment to explain, has she?” Weiss looked at Yang. “You remember that letter she gave me the other night, correct? Oh, of course you do, you were eavesdropping.” Weiss scoffed as Yang grimaced. “Anyway, Lady Blake is holding a party in my honor, and she has invited many of her friends. Ozpin included. He has already RSVP’ed, so you can count on him being there.”

Yang sat back in the plush chair. How long ago had Lady Blake sent out the invitations that Ozpin had already RSVP’ed? Weiss had just received the letter _last night_. That was odd. Yang shook her head.

“Well, congratulations. What exactly is the party for?” Yang asked.

Weiss tilted her head and looked up to the right, finger on her chin. “I suppose… you could call it a ‘graduation’ of sorts? Lady Blake has groomed me as a Lady from my youth, and now I am ready to set out on my own and live life as a Lady of House Schnee.” Weiss smiled. “Not that I won’t be in contact with Lady Blake, of course, but I do wish terribly to return to my family’s ancestral home. I haven’t been there since I was… My, I must have been only 4 years old!” Weiss laughed into a dainty fist.

“How old are you now?” Yang asked. The Ironwoods had occupied the throne for as long as she could remember.

“It’s considered rude to ask a lady her age but…” Weiss crossed her ankles. “I am 25 years old.”

So that was why Yang couldn’t remember a time before the Ironwoods were the royal family- if Weiss was 25 and Yang was 19, and Weiss had come to Lady Blake when she was 4, then Yang was born 2 years after the Ironwoods took over. It was a fresh scar for Weiss. Yang couldn’t help but wonder what Taiyang would think. How had he liked the Schnees? Were they better rulers than the Ironwoods?

Klein opened the door from the dining room. “Ladies, your dinner is prepared.”

\---

Weiss and Yang sat down at their usual spots by the head of the table. They waited for a few minutes, then Lady Blake came in through the back entrance leading to the garden, eyes slightly red and puffy. Yang wondered if she had been crying at her parent’s grave, and at the grave of Sun Wukong.

Whoever Sun Wukong was.

An unsteady Velvet followed, knees shaking. Her eyes looked slightly glazed over as she wandered over to the servant’s entrance. Yang watched her go curiously. Had she been reprimanded for talking to Yang, like Neptune had last night? Yang watched the maid leave, worried, when Weiss caught her eye.

‘ _She’ll be fine_ ,’ Weiss mouthed. ‘ _She needs sugar_.’

Yang tilted her head, not entirely convinced. She knew of the sugar disease, where people may experience illness if they eat too much or too little sugar, but Velvet looked like she needed to lie down. ‘ _She can rest a bit, right?_ ’ Yang mouthed back, and to her relief, Weiss nodded.

Feeling a bit better knowing Velvet wouldn’t have to work through her illness, Yang set to eating. She had learned a bit about table manners from _Miss Manners_ , and while she didn’t understand the _point_ of so much silverware, she at least could tell her fish fork from her salad fork now, and she had begun to understand the order of meals. Tonight, the first dish was an hors d’oeuvre, which happened to be a chicken and porcini tartlet, topped with fresh dill. The pastries were light and fluffy, and the chicken was seasoned well with a lemon and salt rub to pair with the understated mushrooms. Yang happily cut the tartlet into small pieces with her salad knife and used the salad fork to eat.

Lady Blake smiled approvingly and nodded. Yang could almost forget that Lady Blake’s feline smiles were almost predatory in nature.

After two of their tartlets, Lady Blake and Weiss set their forks and knives perpendicular, indicating that they were ready for their next course. Yang still had one more tartlet left herself, and decided to bring it up to the Ladies.

“Why don’t you two ever finish your food all the way?” She asked. “I’ve read in _Miss Manners_ about the different types of silverware, and about what different cutlery positions mean-” she gestured to the crossed forks and knives, “-but why don’t you ever finish eating the whole plate?”

“It is a show of restraint, to be able to hold oneself back and not gouge ourselves on food,” Lady Blake explained. “It’s not necessarily something that is taught in _Miss Manners_ , though I commend you for studying so diligently.” She paused to take a drink of her wine. “I started leaving mine when I was your age, and Weiss started doing the same when she was younger.” She waved her hand dismissively. “You can eat your last tartlet, Miss Xiao Long. There’s truly no need to adopt such a habit. It won’t assist you in any way.”

Yang looked down at the tartlet on her plate, then back up to the ladies. “What happens if I don’t eat it? Does it go to waste?”

Weiss shook her head. “Our cook will feed it to the pigs.” She looked up thoughtfully. “Or his wife may snatch it, is she sees it first.”

Yang looked back down at the tartlet, then crossed her own utensils on her plate. The tartlet was good, but she wanted to get into Lady Blake’s good graces after whatever had happened to Neptune. She had a feeling this was a test.

Weiss beamed at Yang as Klein cleared the first round of dishes and set the next down, but Lady Blake looked troubled. Apparently, this hadn’t been a test, and Yang had chosen wrong.

\---

After the meal, Weiss led Yang down the hallway of portraits to the foyer and took her to the left, down a new hallway. This one only had paintings on the left of the hall, most of which were scenery, easing Yang. To the right lie 3 massive rooms, the first of which was a gorgeous three-story library. Yang had never seen so many books in her life.

“Oh, Weiss, this is gorgeous!” Yang exclaimed, twirling. “How many of these have you read?”

“Nearly all of them,” Weiss sighed. “I started with the ones that looked the most interesting when I was younger, but eventually, I had to lower my standards.” She shook her head. “I would _kill_ for some new books in here.”

Yang laughed at that, earning an odd look from Weiss. “ Weiss, ‘ _Ladies do not threaten murder_ ’.” Yang teased with a lopsided grin.

“Oh, pfah! _You_ read all these books and then come say that to me!” Weiss crossed her arms indignantly, feigning irritation, but Yang saw a hint of a smile on her lips.

Yang held her hands up, palms out, ceding defeat. “Alright, alright. I’m sorry. You should visit my home town, Tukson’s got a nice book shop with lots of different books. Ruby liked to go there and…” Yang trailed off, thinking about her sister. How long had it been since her sister had left? Why hadn’t Yang been looking for a way to escape? Yang’s heart began to race. Was it the castle? Was there something about being here in the castle that made her forget her time, forget why she was here?

She was like a fly, trapped in a spider’s web, and Lady Blake was going to steal her life away.

Weiss frowned. “Yang… I know you miss your sister. Maybe… you can ask her if you can visit them sometime?” she ventured.

Yang’s head snapped up. “Wait, do you think.. Do you think she would allow that?”

Weiss blinked. “Well, why not?” She asked. “They _are_ your family.”

Yang rocked back on her heels. She had never even considered just _asking_ Lady Blake to go home. Another idea popped into her head- What if she made like Velvet, told Lady Blake that she wasn’t cut out to be a Lady? Would Lady Blake let her go home to her family? Yang pondered the idea, then decided to do just that.

“That’s a good idea, Weiss,” Yang mumbled, looking down at her feet. “I think I’ll go do that.” Yang turned and walked toward the door.

“Wait, what about Ozpin’s books?” Weiss called.

Yang looked over her shoulder. “Don’t worry about it,” she said. “I guess I’ll be going home.”

\---

Yang found Lady Blake in the reception room, sitting in her comfortable chair by the fire, stroking a long-furred cat. Yang walked over and sat down in the chair beside Lady Blake, eyeing the cat.

“So, is this one Gambol or Shroud?” Yang asked.

“Shroud,” Lady Blake replied quietly, not looking away from the fire. Her eyes were still red.

“Are you… okay?” Yang hesitantly asked.

Lady Blake sighed and turned her head to Yang. “We all have our days, Miss Xiao Long. Do you need something?”

Looking into Lady Blake’s golden eyes, seeing her so vulnerable, Yang couldn’t bring herself to ask now. She shook her head. “No, I just… Noticed you looked a little down at dinner, and now that Weiss is done showing me the library, I wanted to see if you were okay.” Yang smiled weakly, hoping Lady Blake would believe the lie.

Lady Blake turned back to the fire. “I’m just mourning the dead, is all. It hurts, living on after they pass.”

Yang was silent for a moment. “I know how you feel,” she said, and Lady Blake glanced back at her. “My mom died when I was young. Well, Ruby’s mom. My birth mom left me on my dad’s door when I was just a baby, but Summer raised me like I was hers.” Yang shook her head. “When Summer died, even after my Uncle Qrow told me that she wasn’t my real mother and that my mom was still alive… I still felt like my mother had died. I _still_ feel that way.” Yang looked down at her feet. “It’s hard, because she died so young. My dad kind of… shut down, in a way, and I had to step up and be Ruby’s mom for a while, until Lord Nikos asked him to be his stable master and gave him reason to live again.”

Lady Blake nodded. “And your Uncle..?”

Yang shrugged. “He just left. My dad yelled at him for telling me about my mom, told him to leave, so he took it way too far and left town. Didn’t come back for a year.” Yang paused, remembering Stark’s name on the barn’s roster. “You’ve met him, haven’t you?”

Lady Blake nodded. “He came for your mother,” she said simply.

Yang nodded. Trust Uncle Qrow to look everywhere, not just near and far, but also close to home.

Yang turned back to Lady Blake. “So… who did you lose?”

Lady Blake stiffened, and Yang was afraid the woman would be angry with her. Instead, she stared into the fire for a long moment before simply saying, “My entire family.”


	15. Lady Blake's Gift

After the conversation with Lady Blake, Yang returned to the library to see if Weiss would still show her the collection of Ozpin’s works. Unfortunately, Weiss wasn’t in the library anymore. Yang wandered about the first floor, perusing the shelves, but she didn’t see anything by Ozpin. What she did see, however, was a tome titled ‘ _The Rise and Fall of the Schnee Empire_ ’. Curious, Yang grabbed it, and walked over to the comfortable armchairs to sit down and educate herself on her housemate.

The Schnee family had held the throne for nearly a thousand years before being displaced by the Ironwoods, and of course, Weiss’ father was the last King Schnee the country had seen. Yang flipped through the early pages of the book, not terribly interested in the long history of the Schnees, wanting to learn more about Weiss’ family. In chapter 23, ‘The Fall of Jacques Schnee’, Yang found her answer.

Jacques had not been a popular king. He had questionable business practices, and had not treated his retainers very well. The book recorded his as being particularly greedy, and neither a good father nor a good husband. He had three children, daughters Winter and Weiss and son Whitley.

‘ _So that’s why she named her horse Winter_ ,’ Yang thought. ‘ _She must have loved her big sister_.’

There was no record in the book of any of the family surviving. According to the dusty tome, all had been slain- even the infant son, Whitley. Yang shuddered at King Ironwood’s cruelty, though it made sense, given how Weiss now plotted to overthrow him. She continued to scan the chapter, reading the dense walls of text as best as she could given her aversion to small print and boring books. At the end of the chapter, there was a part that touched on the betrayal of King Schnee by his friend at the time, Lord Ironwood. 

Yang’s eyebrow’s furrowed as she re-read the paragraph. It hadn’t been the current king, James Ironwood that had taken the throne from Jacques Schnee, but his father before him. The current king had merely inherited the throne. Yang tilted her head. King Ironwood wasn’t too young, he had to be at least 30. Not only that, but this book claimed that the current king had been ruling for the past 15 years. Had he only ruled for a years before passing the kingdom on to his son? Yang flipped back through the chapter, confused, until reaching the front of the chapter, noticing the year.

The Schnee empire had fallen over 50 years ago.

\---

Unsure of who else to talk to, Yang wandered to the barn, hoping that not only was Neptune okay, but willing to talk about Weiss. The young man was in the equipment room, sitting in his chair with his boots propped up on a hay bale, sewing a bridle with thick thread. Yang stood in the doorway for a moment, watching Neptune as he concentrated. He looked pale, with slight bags under his eyes, as though he hadn’t slept well the day before. She coughed, and Neptune looked up, startled.

“Oh, hey, Yang. I didn’t see you there.” He smiled weakly. “Did you want to practice side saddle?”

Yang shook her head, side saddle being the last thing on her mind. “I just wanted to see if you were okay.” She leaned back against the wall, slipping her hands behind her back. “You really worried me the other day, you know. Then Weiss said some things about you getting punished…” Yang squinted at Neptune. “You don’t look to good. Did you sleep at all during the day?”

Neptune rubbed the back of his head and looked away. “Lady Blake just doesn’t like it when people talk about her, especially when she’s not around,” he said, confirming Velvet’s words.

Yang tilted her head. “Yeah, but why did she _punish_ you for talking to me? I mean, I just live here, I wanted to know a little bit about her is all.”

Neptune laughed. “I don’t know what you’re thinking she did, but forget it. She just gave me a talking to over dinner.” He shook his head, smiling. “Honestly, Weiss is so dramatic. She must’ve just been jealous that Lady Blake had dinner with someone else.”

Yang relaxed. “So… She didn’t hurt you?”

Neptune waved a hand. “No, she would never. I think I’m her favorite stable boy.” He winked, and Yang had to laugh at the _only_ stable boy’s words. “Anyway, she said that if you came to me with questions about her again, I was to direct you to her. She likes to explain things herself, I guess.” Neptune shrugged. “Sorry if that’s why you really came. I can’t just disobey her after she asked me over dinner like that.”

Yang nodded. “I get it, but I did want to see how you were doing. Honestly. Weiss had me scared.” She decided to test the waters. “I guess all princesses are drama queens, no matter who raised them.”

Neptune laughed. “Yeah, I remember when she was a little girl. She was so used to being spoiled, Lady Blake had to teach her what’s what.” Neptune shook his head. “I guess even now, she’s still got that streak in her, even after Lady Blake’s help.”

Yang crossed her arms, eyebrows moving up as she leaned forward. “You _remember_ when Weiss was a little girl?”

Neptune froze. “Shit. Look, Yang, I can’t get in trouble with Lady Blake again. Pretend I didn’t say anything.” He picked up his sewing project.

Yang grabbed the bridle and threw it across the room. “TELL ME THE TRUTH, NEPTUNE. _NOW_.” Her blood was boiling. She was sick of the half-truths, of the hiding information and the lies. She wanted answers.

Neptune just wanted peace. He looked away from Yang, refusing to meet her gaze. “I’m 22 years old.” He said.

“You can’t be 22, Weiss said she’s 25.” Yang reasoned. “And Weiss can’t be 25, since the Schnee empire fell over 50 years ago.”

Neptune sighed and brought his feet down from the hay bale, leaning forward in his chair. “I have been 22 years old for the past century or so,” He said finally. “Weiss has been 25 for at least three decades.” He sighed and hung his head. “Klein was a young man when he came here. He claimed he served only House Schnee, being Lady Blake’s butler in proxy only, and never accepted her gift. That’s why he’s an old man now.”

Yang stared hard at Neptune. “How old… Is Lady Blake?”

Neptune looked up to Yang. “That, I can’t tell you not because I’m not allowed, but because I honestly don’t know.”

\---

With the new information, Yang headed back to the guest living room, thinking. Weiss was actually 50 years old? Neptune was at least 120 years? She shook her head. How old was Velvet? How old was Coco?

How old was Lady Blake?

She climbed the curved staircase, wondering what Lady Blake was that her ‘gift’ could keep someone young for so long. Was there a limit to how many people she could ‘gift’? Was there a limit to how long they could be ‘gifted’? Were they only gifted as long as they stayed in the castle?

A thought struck Yang as she held the doorknob to her suite. What would she do if Lady Blake offered her the ‘gift’? Should she accept?

Yang thought to their earlier conversation. Lady Blake had seemed so defeated at the passing of her parents and of Sun Wukong. Yang realized that this must be why she surrounded herself with those who have no other family- she was lonely, and with her the seemingly only survivor of House Belladonna, she had no true family to speak of. Velvet, Neptune, Coco, Weiss, and even Klein and Yang, though not ‘gifted’, were her family. Yang felt a pang of sadness for the lady of the house, stepping into her living room.

To Yang’s surprise, there was a new stack of books, along with an envelope on the table. Yang looked down at the stack curiously, eyeing the spines. A choice collection of Ozpin’s works. Her heart fluttered as she picked up the envelope.

The envelope was sealed with white wax, stamped with a snowflake sigil. The sigil of House Schnee. Yang opened the envelope, pulling out the note within.

‘ _Yang,_  
_I understand that you may not be here for too_  
_much longer, but I think that in your remaining_  
_time here at Castle Belladonna, you may enjoy ___  
_these works of Ozpin’s. If I may be so bold, I_  
_would find great joy in your staying at the castle_  
_at least until the party thrown in my honor._

 _ ___

____

_Sincerely,  
Weiss Schnee_ ’

 _  
_Yang smiled at the note. Lady Blake wasn’t the only lonely one, after losing her whole family. Yang decided to ask when the party was. If it was far away, she would ask for leave to visit her sister and father, then come back and continue training as a Lady until the party. Then, at the party, she would tell Lady Blake that she wasn’t cut out to be a lady, and that she wanted to return to life at home. That would be okay, and it wouldn’t break anyone’s hearts._  
_

____

Feeling content, Yang set the note down on the stack of Ozpin’s works and headed to bed.


	16. Death

Weiss shook Yang awake, bringing her out of her Ursa-haunted dreams.

“Weiss…?” Yang yawned, rubbing the sleep from her eyes. “What are you doing? Shouldn’t Velvet be waking me up for the night?”

Weiss stalked over to the window and threw open the curtains, letting in ample sunlight. Yang drew back immediately, like a vampire, into the shadows. “Weiss? It’s still a few hours before sundown, why are you waking me up now?” She looked at the pale woman, noticing that Weiss was dressed in her sleeping gown and a robe.

“Someone’s here. Lord Nikos’ daughter, Lady Pyrrha. She says she wants to speak with you.” Weiss complained. Clearly, the princess did not enjoy being awoken early either. “She brought a full troop with her, they’re out in our courtyard.”

Curious, Yang stood and padded over to the window. Sure enough, House Nikos bannermen sat atop their horses on the ground below. “Did she say why she wants to talk to me?” Yang asked, turning to Weiss.

“I didn’t have the joy of speaking with the Lady,” Weiss spat, motioning to her dress.

“Alright, I’ll get dressed and go down and see what she wants,” Yang sighed, shuffling to the dressing room.

“Shall I accompany you?” Weiss asked.

Yang turned. It was a thoughtful gesture. “I guess if Lady Blake isn’t awake yet, then that would be best, wouldn’t it?” Weiss nodded in agreement and strode out of the room, calling for Coco and Velvet.

\---

After dressing, the two ladies headed down to the reception room, where Klein has already poured tea for Lady Pyrrha. The Lady had flowing red hair, sparkling green eyes, and a golden circlet on her head that matched the color of her javelin and shield. She wore pants, Yang noted jealously, along with a lovely pair of riding boots and a comfortable-looking riding jacket. She smiled as the two women entered, standing to greet them.

“Hello! It’s a pleasure to meet you!” Her voice was cheery, and her handshake firm in Yang’s hand. Weiss did not extend a hand to shake, but merely curtsied.

“The pleasure is ours, Lady Nikos.” She said gracefully. “I am Lady Weiss of House Schnee, and this-”

“Is Yang Xiao Long, I know.” Lady Pyrrha interrupted gently. “Her father works in my father’s stables, and I have visited her home during the festivals.”

Yang blushed and looked down. She hadn’t remembered Lady Pyrrha ever visiting.

Weiss cleared her throat. “Well, as you can see, the Lady of the house is resting currently, so we shall have-“

Pyrrha held up a hand, interrupting Weiss again. “That is not a problem, Lady Schnee. I came to speak with Miss Xiao Long.” She smiled gently while Weiss looked like she was getting ready to punch the woman in the case of a third interruption. Pyrrha turned her attentions to Yang, unfazed. “Miss Xiao Long, your family is worried about you. You father implored my father to send his troops here to find you, you know.”

Yang’s heart skipped a beat. She still wanted to return home, of course, but she didn’t want to disappoint Weiss and Lady Blake, either. Yang looked to Weiss, who raised a single eyebrow. Velvet and Klein stood to the sides of the door leading to the dining room, while two guards stood directly behind Lady Pyrrha and another two stood at attention next to the double doors leading to the hall.

Yang was trapped in the room physically, therefore she was trapped in the conversation.

“I told my father I would be back, which I will be soon. I did plan on asking Lady Blake for leave at her earliest convenience.” Yang tried to sound cordial, but Lady Pyrrha looked taken aback.

“Ask for… leave?” Her delicate red eyebrows came together in confusion as she set her tea down. “Whatever do you mean?”

Yang sighed and looked up to the ceiling. “Well… Lady Blake is keeping me here, to learn how to be a lady,” She explained. “I suppose I… Haven’t asked to go home, because I was afraid of being told that I had to stay.”

Velvet’s hand went to her mouth in shock as Lady Pyrrha’s eyebrow’s shot up. “Are you saying that you are a _prisoner_ her, Miss Xiao Long?" Lady Pyrrha asked carefully.

“No, I can leave if I want- I mean, I think I can- maybe,” Yang shook her head. “At least it has a toilet and a warm bath, which is more than I can say for home, right?” She joked, only to hear the sound of Weiss’ hand hitting her own forehead.

“If you are prisoner here, then it is my job as the daughter of your father’s employer to free you, Miss Xiao Long.” Lady Pyrrha stood, arming herself with her javelin and her shield.

“Oh, no-that’s not nec- I don’t need-” Yang could only stutter as Lady Pyrrha stepped forward and grabbed her arm.

“Hold on, Lady Pyrrha,” Weiss interrupted. “Yang wants to stay here. Isn’t that right, Yang?” Weiss looked to Yang, who swallowed hard.

“Well, I mean, I do want to visit home, but-“ She started, only to be cut off by Lady Pyrrha.

“See? She wants to return _home_ , you fiend.” Lady Pyrrha looked at Weiss defiantly, and the two locked eyes.

“I can’t let you take her,” Weiss said finally.

“You don’t have a choice! She doesn’t belong here, she belongs at home with her family!” Lady Pyrrha reasoned. “Let her come with me, I can take her there safely tonight!”

“You don’t understand, I _cannot_ let you take her. It’s far too dangerous.” Weiss crossed her arms. “Klein, fetch Nora, please.” The butler bowed and left the room.

Lady Pyrrha stood still, cold fury burning in her eyes. “Kidnapping is a crime,” she said finally. “I heard what you and your mistress tried to do to Miss Xiao Long’s younger sister, Miss Ruby Rose. I won’t stand for it.” She shook her head. “If you stand in my way, I will cut you down.”

Weiss laughed. “Yang, please tell this foolish girl that you’re not-” Weiss was interrupted once more as Lady Pyrrha thrust here javelin through Weiss’ stomach. Weiss gasped, blood spurting from the wound, then dripping from the corner of her mouth. She looked down at the weapon imbedded in her stomach, slowly bringing her hands up to the javelin’s shaft. With a feminine grunt, Lady Pyrrha pulled the javelin out of Weiss’ stomach, soaking the floor with royal blood. Weiss cried out, eyes wide and tearing at the corners, and she fell to her knees.

Yang hesitantly stepped forward, wrenching her arm out of Lady Pyrrha’s grasp, falling onto the floor in front of Weiss. Lady Pyrrha snorted. “Leave her, Miss Xiao Long. She is no longer your captor, so-”

“SHE WAS MY _FRIEND_!” Yang snarled, looking over her shoulder with rage. Lady Pyrrha took a step back. Velvet, seemingly frozen to the spot, whimpered, and a Nikos guard took the opportunity to place a sword to her neck. Yang turned on him. “GET AWAY FROM HER, YOU BASTARD!” She shouted, startling the man. Velvet cried out and ran forward, hiding behind the bleeding Weiss. She whispered something to Weiss, making the dying girl laugh even as her blood soaked the carpet.

Yang looked to Velvet. “What did you say?”

Weiss placed a bloody hand on Yang’s shoulder, startling her. Weiss was wheezing, and looked like she was about to lose consciousness. Yet the woman had a smile on her face.

“She said when Lady Blake wakes up, she’s going to kill them all.”


	17. Rebirth

Even if Yang had a response, it would have been cut off, as Weiss and Velvet both began to scream in pain. Yang could understand Weiss, but Velvet? Yang looked between the two girls, watching in horror as their skin began to burn in the same pattern- their faces, their hands and forearms, and a deep v down their necks and chest. Yang heard screams echoing throughout the castle, watching in horror as the burns began to blister painfully, the red skin falling away to reveal muscle and bone beneath.

As suddenly as the screams and burns came, they stopped, and Yang watched as the skin miraculously began to slowly heal itself. The candles in the room blew out by an unseen wind, and the drapes drew themselves, leaving the room dark save for the firelight from the fireplace. Lady Pyrrha took a step back, horrified by the scene, letting out a slight whimper as she bumped into someone.

Lady Blake slammed her arm into Lady Pyrrha’s side, sending the girl flying into the wall. Lady Prryha slid down, unconscious, blood slowly trickling from her nose as Lady Blake walked forward, tears flowing freely from her livid golden eyes, Gambol and Shroud trailing behind. Yang watched as burns identical to Weiss’ and Velvet’s healed themselves on Lady Blake’s lithe form, their place exact from the deep v of her tied silky night robe and her exposed face and hands.

She crouched down beside Weiss and ripped her nails into her right arm, spilling blood into the pool of Weiss’ own. Yang cried out in surprise, but Lady Blake held her bleeding arm forward.

“Weiss. Wake up.” Weiss’ eyes fluttered open at her lady’s words. She took a shuddering breath, face paler than usual from blood loss, and coughed her own blood onto Lady Blake’s extended arm.

“Weiss, I command you to drink.” The wound on Lady Blake’s arm was slowly healing, but a glaze came over Weiss’ eyes, much like the one that had taken Velvet’s eyes the night before from her supposed sugar sickness. Weiss’ lips grazed Lady Blake’s arm, and her throat moved slowly, drinking Lady Blake’s blood.

The result was nearly instantaneous- Weiss fell back onto the floor as though someone had pushed her, and began to scream more than she had with the burns. The pool of blood on the floor began to shift, and Yang stared in horror as a small stream worked its way up Lady Blake’s body back into the wound on her arm as it closed and healed, while the rest began to move to the javelin wound in Weiss’ stomach. Weiss thrashed, her wound bubbling black and horridly unnaturally, her bones bending at unnatural angles only to be snapped back into place. Lady Blake cupped her face gently.

“I’m so sorry, Weiss.” She whispered the words. “I never wanted this for you, but this is the only way to save you. Don’t fight it, let it take you.” She leaned down and kissed Weiss on the forehead even as Weiss thrashed and screamed, tears running freely from both women.

Klein walked into the room, a short ginger-haired woman with a pink tea-length dress and messy apron behind him brandishing a Warhammer. Klein rushed to Weiss as the small woman looked at the Nikos guards, and Yang now noticed that the men were seemingly frozen in place, muscles straining to move, only their eyes under their control. The ginger sighed as she gently smacked a guard in the shoulder, watching as he stared whale-eyed and sweating, unable to fight back.

“Thank you, Nora, but I’ve already taken care of the guards,” Lady Blake explained to the small woman. Nora swung the hammer over her shoulder and stuck her lower lip out, pouting.

“Klein got me all excited over nothing.” She looked past Lady Blake, at Weiss, who had finally stopped screaming and convulsing in Klein’s arms. “Is… Lady Weiss… okay?” Nora looked concerned.

Klein brushed Weiss’ bangs to the side. “She’s dead,” he said solemnly.

Lady Blake leaned forward and ran the back of her hand down Weiss’ cheek. “Not for long,” she explained. “Soon, she will truly be my daughter.”

Klein looked up to Lady Blake, alarmed, but before he could say anything, Weiss gasped in the butler’s arms. Klein began to bring her closer, but Lady Blake gently pushed him to the side, shaking her head with a warning. Lady Blake held up a hand, gesturing to Weiss, and the guard next to Nora began to walk forward, his eyes wide with fear.

The guard could not speak, had no control over his own body as he sat himself down on the ground beside Weiss, pulling the collar of his own shirt down and tilting his head away, elongating his neck. Lady Blake gently rolled Weiss onto her side, toward to guard’s exposed neck.

Weiss, slowly becoming lucid, sniffed the air as Lady Blake pierced the guard’s neck with a nail, suddenly sharp and cat-like. Gambol leaned forward and licked Weiss’ forehead gingerly, and Weiss leaned into the guard’s neck.

At first, she simply lapped up the spilled blood, but she quickly grew hungrier and pierced the man’s neck with her own teeth to drink the blood. Yang could have sworn she saw fangs in Weiss’ mouth. The guard slowly grew pale as his blood was drained by the princess.

Yang looked between Weiss and Lady Blake, horrified. “What… _are_ you?”

“Lady Blake is a vampire,” Klein answered sadly. “And now, Lady Schnee is as well.”

Weiss finished draining the guard and detached herself, giving Yang a good look at her fangs. Fangs that were now coming closer.

“ _NO, WEISS. NOT HER._ ” Lady Blake pushed Weiss back, sending her flying. Weiss landed on the far side of the room, by the two other frozen Nikos guards. Hungrily, she turned on the closest one and sank her teeth into his neck.

“Newborns… Always so thirsty.” Lady Blake shook her head and stepped forward. “Weiss. You must learn control. You have no problem leaving food, so please, learn to leave blood.”

Weiss looked angrily at Lady Blake, tossing aside the empty husk of the second guard. “Lady Blake, I am _starving_. Please, just let me eat.” She turned to the third frozen guard, ripping his armor clean off with supernatural strength, but Lady Blake pulled him away from the newborn.

“Learn control, Weiss. We have to drink blood, but we _don’t_ have to kill humans.” Lady Blake nodded to where Yang, Velvet, and Klein stood. “Look at them, Weiss. They fear you. If you cannot show them that you are trustworthy, I will have no other place for you but the dungeon.”

Weiss snapped her head to the three humans, and her expression softened. Velvet looked terrified, sitting in the farthest corner from Weiss, brown eyes wide, with tears falling slowly as she sobbed to herself. Yang could imagine that she herself looked much the same, but Klein looked different. He looked… Disappointed?

The butler stepped forward, undoing his bowtie, and pulled his collar down, exposing his neck. “Weiss, I have served you for over 50 years. I never thought you would become _this_.” Weiss shrank back at his words. “If this is how you will be, please take my life, for I can not watch you become a monster.”

Weiss looked at Klein, lip trembling. Her eyes darted to the two guards she had already killed, and she slowly lowered herself to the ground, crouching low, hands on her head. “I’m so sorry, Klein,” she wailed softly, rocking herself. “I’m sorry. I’m sorry. I’m sorry.” Klein lowered himself beside her, old bones protesting audibly with the effort, and wrapped his arms around the new vampiress as she cried.

“It’s not your fault, Weiss,” he said, looking at Lady Blake as he spoke. “Everything will be okay, I promise.”

Lady Blake and Klein locked eyes, Klein clearly angry, Lady Blake unreadable.

Shroud, standing beside Lady Pyrrha, meowed to Lady Blake. The woman turned away from Klein, eyes cold, looking down at the Nikos heiress as Klein led Weiss from the reception room. Lady Blake waved a hand, and the two remaining guards began to shuffle from the room.

“Nora, lock them up in the dungeon.” Lady Blake spoke flatly. “Weiss may still need spare bodies before she learns control. Velvet…” she glanced at the maid, who was still huddled in the corner. Lady Blake sighed and looked to Yang. “My apologies, Miss Xiao Long, but can you help Velvet to her room?”

Yang nodded. “I can do that.” She turned and helped the shaken maid to unsteady feet, leading her past the Nikos corpses and down the hall of portraits.

In the foyer, Yang looked around. “By the way, Velvet… Where _is_ your room?” Velvet pointed a shaky finger down the hallway to the left, leading to the library. Yang held Velvet close, letting the slight maid lean on her for support as they made their way down the hall. At the end of this hall was a simple wooden door, which Velvet opened, revealing an open area with comfortable couches and two more hallways leading away in opposite directions. From the right, Yang could smell dinner cooking, but Velvet pointed to the left, down a corridor lined with doors.

The doors were all the same, but they had name tags on them. Yang walked Velvet past ‘Klein Sieben’, past ‘Neptune Vasilias’, past a door with no name, and stopped her in front of a door with ‘Coco Adel and Velvet Scarlatina’. Yang supposed she should have realized that the two were lovers by the way they interacted, but she was still a little taken aback.

Velvet sniffled and opened the door delicately, leading to a comfortable room not nearly as lavish but far more homey than the one that Yang slept in. On one side of the room was a small desk and a comfortable chair along with a tall antique armoire, while the other held a dressing table covered in makeup and two more wardrobes. In the middle stood a large bed, with chocolate brown blankets and multiple pillows, upon which Coco sat nervously. She sprang up at the sight of Velvet, weak in Yang’s arms.

“Vel! What’s wrong? What happened?” Coco rushed forward and pulled Velvet in close, leading her to the bed as the maid broke down into tears once more. Awkwardly, Yang decided not to intrude, and slipped out of the room, closing the door gently behind her. She had done what she could for Velvet, and now her- _girlfriend? wife?_ \- was there to do the rest. She set off back to the reception room, determination in her steps.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> A/N:  
> This is the end of Part 1. Part 2 is expected to be a little bit bit longer, while Part 3 is going to be the longest. I had originally estimated this work to be around 50 chapters, but it might end up going a little bit longer than that.  
> Thanks for sticking with me, guys!


	18. Grimm Attack

Back in the foyer, Yang paused to look out the windows. Night had fallen, and the Nikos guards were still in the courtyard. Yang turned away from the windows and watched as Nora slipped out from a door hidden in the shadows beneath the left staircase, Warhammer in hand. The small woman smiled at Yang.

“Where did you take those guards?” Yang asked hesitantly.

“To the dungeon,” Nora said, pointing to the door behind her. “Newborn vampires are always hungry, so having extra bodies for Weiss will be useful.” Nora stood on her toes and looked out the window behind Yang, slinging her hammer onto her shoulder. “Will 2 be enough? Maybe I should go grab some more.”

“Er… Maybe we should talk to Lady Blake.” Yang laughed nervously, pointing down the hall of portraits to the reception room. 

Nora’s face brightened. “Right, good idea!” She said, beaming at Yang and turning down the hallway. “Maybe we can put Lady Nikos down there for Weiss, too!” Nora skipped down the hall, hammer bouncing slightly. Yang gave the woman a few moments before following, not wanting to be too close behind her.

‘ _I have no idea who this Nora girl is_ ,’ Yang thought to herself, ‘ _But she is terrifying_.’

Nora entered the reception room first, Yang trailing behind. The room was in an even worse state than before- furniture flipped and broken, wallpaper torn, blood everywhere. Yang’s eyed widened. What had Lady Blake _done_ to Lady Pyrrha?

Lady Pyrrha laughed and Yang’s whirled around at the sound, seeing the Nikos heiress standing unharmed by a demure Lady Blake. Yang’s head spun- If Lady Blake hadn’t done anything to Lady Pyrrha, then how did the room end up like this?

“Really, Lady Belladonna, you must relocate closer to the town!” Lady Pyrrha said, placing a hand softly on Lady Blake’s shoulder. “This _never_ happens in Castle Nikos!”

“I am sure that you speak the truth,” Lady Blake said, dipping her head with an odd smile, “but I love this castle too dearly to leave it.”

Lady Pyrrha’s face softened. “Even… With what happened to Lady Weiss?” she asked.

Lady Blake’s face darkened. “She would not have passed had she had Myrtenaster with her, I assure you.” Lady Blake shook her head solemnly. “I loved her dearly, she was like a sister to me. I will miss her terribly. Even so, I cannot leave this castle, for it has been my home for so long that I fear I may not be comfortable anywhere else.” She smiled bitterly at Lady Pyrrha, who simply nodded.

“Is… everything okay in here?” Yang interrupted nervously. She had no idea what Lady Blake or Lady Pyrrha were talking about, or how the room had come to just a state.

The two ladies looked up, noticing Yang and Nora for the first time.

“Oh, Miss Xiao Long, Mrs. Ren…” Lady Blake shook her head. “We didn’t see you two come in.”

“I’m truly sorry about Weiss,” Lady Pyrrha said to Yang, placing a hand on her shoulder. “I heard from Lady Blake that you two were close.”

“Yes, we were…” Yang’s eyebrows came together. Now she was _really_ confused. Did Pyrrha forget stabbing Weiss? Yang looked at Pyrrha’s javelin, but the blood was gone- likely sucked back into the wound as Weiss was turned.

Lady Pyrrha sighed at looked back to Lady Blake. “Truly, there must be _something_ I can do. I mean, to lose a _Lady of the House_ in a Grimm attack?”

Yang rocked back on her heels. A _Grimm_ attack? There hadn’t been any Grimm in the castle, what was Pyrrha talking about? Yang looked to Lady Blake, who gave the slightest of nods to Yang.

Nora caught on first. “Well, we live all the way out here in the woods,” the ginger explained. “Grimm attacks are just to be expected. We all know that.” She hoisted up her hammer happily. “Besides, that’s why I’m here!”

“Besides, Lady Nikos, you yourself lost four men in the attack, didn’t you?” Yang asked, realizing the farce. ‘ _This must be some vampire magic. Make her forget what really happened, then tell her a fake story so that she goes home without any trouble and doesn’t send more guards out here._ ’ Yang looked to Lady Blake, who nodded. Yang had guessed correctly.

“Yes, and they were good men.” Lady Pyrrha nodded. “But guards know the danger of their work, they are aware that they could die at any moment.” She shook her head. “Was it the same for Weiss?”

“Speaking of your men…” Yang ventured, not liking the flash of anger on Lady Blake’s face, “They are still outside the castle, correct?” Pyrrha nodded, confusion on her face. “Well, I mean, if you wanted to avoid any more deaths by Grimm, staying here probably wouldn’t be the best option for you men.”

Lady Pyrrha paled at Yang’s reasoning. “How late is it? Has the sun set?”

“Yeah, and the moon’s not too bright,” Nora chimed in, eager to have the unwanted guest leave as well. “If you want to get home safely, a big group like the one with your guards should be safe, but staying here overnight may be risky.”

Lady Blake smiled weakly at the two as Lady Pyrrha gathered up her javelin and shield. “Well, in that case, I do apologize for my sudden exit, but I must have the rest of my guards survive.” She looked at Yang. “I am glad to hear that you enjoy your studies, and I will relay your message on to your father and sister.” Yang was taken aback at her words, looking at Lady Blake, but the vampiress merely watched coldly as Nora led Pyrrha to the door.

“Gambol. Shroud.” The two cats padded over to Lady Blake as the room shimmered. The room changed nearly instantly- the blood was gone, and the furniture that had been broken and displaced was back in its original spot. The walls were no longer torn, but now Yang saw a crumbling dent in the wall where Lady Blake had thrown Pyrrha, a blood stain in the center of the impact.

Lady Blake sighed at the two cats. “So. Which one of you isn’t doing their job?” she asked coolly, looking between the cats. They stared up at her, eyes large, and Gambol meowed in response.

“I _mean_ that they were able to find the castle, you useless guardians!” Lady Blake hissed, and Gambol looked to Shroud accusingly. Shroud looked away, seemingly embarrassed, and chittered a response to Lady Blake. The vampiress squinted at the cat, then turned to Yang.

“What is Ruby?” Lady Blake demanded.

“I… What do you mean?” Yang stepped back. “She’s not a vampire, if that’s what you’re asking.”

“I know she’s not a vampire, I can recognize my own kind,” Lady Blake seethed. “However, _this one_ -” she pointed an accusing finger at Shroud, who shrank back, “-claims that she broke his spell of hiding over the castle.” Lady Blake leaned closely to Yang. “That means that it is your _sister’s_ fault that the Nikos girl was even able to find this place to wreak her havoc.”

Yang stood a little straighter. “Hey, she was just trying to help! My sister and dad were worried, and they asked her dad for help. It’s not _Ruby’s_ fault that you decided to kidnap me, is it?” Yang crossed her arms defiantly.

“ _You are here for your own protection_ ,” Lady Blake hissed. “Just because your mother refused to tell you anything doesn’t mean…” Lady Blake sighed and stood back, pinching the bridge of her nose. “You sister. What is she?”

Yang’s face screwed up in confusion. “Wait, what about my moth-”

“YOUR _SISTER_ , MISS XIAO LONG.” Lady Blake shouted, fangs bared. “WHAT. IS. SHE.”

Yang shrank back from the vampiress. “She’s… a human, just like me.”

Lady Blake scoffed. “Think about her mother, this _Summer Rose_. Were they both truly normal humans, as you say they are?”

Yang thought to her little sister’s quirks. She did strange things sometimes, sure… She would sing to her plants, claiming that it helped them grow.She had conversations with the horses as though she could understand their responses. There were lots of weird things Ruby did that Yang didn’t understand. Things that Summer had also done.

The more Yang considered Ruby’s quirks, much like Summer’s, the stranger Ruby seemed. Even summer herself, and her mother before her- they all did the same strange things, all kept the last name Rose, and all had the same silver eyes. Yang remembered looking into those silver eyes one night as she and Ruby sat on Summer’s lap before the fireplace, reading a fairytale. At the end, Summer looked down to her two daughters. “ _Don’t forget, my darlings_ ,” she had said. “ _Not all witches are bad like in the stories. Lots of us are good._ ”

Lots of _us_ are good. Everything clicked into place. Ruby read so many of Summer’s books, even the ones that weren’t fairytales, and after that she began to show her quirks. The silver-eyed Rose women truly weren’t human, after all.

Yang looked up to Lady Blake, startled. “Ruby… My mother, Summer… They’re _witches_.” She exclaimed. “All of them, all of the women with the name ‘Rose’ who have silver eyes.”

Lady Blake ran a hand through her hair and sighed. “I see. She probably didn’t even realize what she had done to my castle.” The dark woman looked back down to her cats. “If you two can’t fix it, then get Ruby Rose back here.” She glared at Gambol. “I know _you_ were the one to lead her here in the first place, so _you_ ought to go fetch her.” She looked back to Yang. “My apologies, Miss Xiao Long, but I do have one more favor I need to ask of you.”

Lady Blake’s eyes flashed hungrily, and Yang took a step back.

She was going to be bitten.


	19. Yang's Dinner

Lady Blake took a step toward Yang and leaned in. Yang leaned away, realizing now that Lady Blake had trapped her against a wall. She had nowhere to go. Yang’s eyes darted to the door, but it was too far- besides, the Nikos group was probably leaving already.

“I need you to do me just a small favor, Miss Xiao Long,” Lady Blake purred, eyeing the veins in Yang’s neck as Yang’s heart beat rapidly.

“Um… I don’t know if-”

Lady Blake looked up, her golden eyes meeting Yang’s. “I need you to go to the kitchens, inform Chef Ren of what has happened.” She began to walk away, to the door. “Ask him to have dinner sent to both Weiss and I. No garlic, extra blood.” With that, Lady Blake swept from the room.

Yang slid down the wall with relief, neck safe from the vampiress. 

At least for now.

\---

Back in the servant’s foyer, Yang went to the right, toward the smell of cooking. She peeked into the kitchen wearily, and watched as two of Lady Blake’s servants bustled around, hard at work. She recognized the small ginger woman, Nora, but the man she did not. He was tall, lithe, and had long black hair pulled back into a low ponytail by a length of ribbon matching the color of Nora’s dress. He wore a simple back chef’s outfit, with a green apron atop. As he turned to say something to Nora, Yang saw that his eyes were also a bright pink, and in the corner on one of his apron pockets was an embroidered lotus flower in the same pink. Yang took a deep breath and walked into the kitchen.

“Um, hi.” She looked at the chef awkwardly. “Lady Blake asked me to tell you what happened to Weiss, and-”

The man held up a hand. “Nora already told me,” he informed Yang with a calm, quiet voice. 

‘ _Not much phases this guy, huh_?’ Yang thought, remembering her panic at the event. “She also wants meals sent up to her and to Weiss. I guess… whatever you’re cooking, but without garlic and with extra… um…”

“Lady Blake’s special ingredient.” The man finished, pointing to his neck. Yang could only nod. He turned back to the stove, where he was cooking some chicken over the fire, and sighed. “Well, too late for that now. I guess some beef will work.” He turned and walked over to an ice box, where he retrieved a fresh bag of meat to cook.

Nora picked the chicken carefully from the skillet and set it down on a plate along with a scoop of cooked vegetables and set the plate down in front of Yang. “You look hungry too, so don’t let this go to waste!” She smiled kindly at Yang, handing her a simple fork and knife.

Yang gratefully took the plate of food and began to eat, savoring the flavor. This chef truly knew his craft. She watched as Nora finished tossing a salad and preparing two other plate much like Yang’s, setting them down before Yang. “When you’re done, can you take a plate over to Neptune and to Coco, and give the salad to Velvet?” Nora winked and whispered, “ _Salad’s her comfort food_.”

Yang nodded and wolfed down the rest of her meal, hungrier than she had thought, and picked up the first steaming plate to take to Neptune. Nora gave her directions to the servant’s exit to the barn, and Yang walked the plate out. Neptune wasn’t in the barn, but just outside it, leaning back against it and looking at the stomped-down earth the Nikos guards had previously stood.

“Hey,” Yang greeted, and Neptune looked up, surprised to see Yang coming from the servant’s exit with food.

“Oh, hey Yang… What are you doing?” He pointed to the food.

“Bringing you dinner, what’s it look like I’m doing?” Yang teased and handed the blue-haired boy the plate.

Neptune accepted the plate without taking his eyes off Yang. “Yeah, but why are _you_ bringing me dinner? Normally Klein or Velvet does.”

Yang shifted on her feet. “Do you know what happened? With Lady Pyrrha?”

Neptune shook his head. “I mucked the pasture and took care of a rock stuck in Winter’s hoof, then the Nikos guards came out from the woods. Later there was the burning, but that faded pretty quickly.” He shook his head. “I thought the castle had barriers, so people would leave us alone.”

“Yeah, there was a barrier… but I think my sister accidentally broke it.” Yang confessed.

Neptune looked surprised, then laughed. “Well, at least they’re gone now, right? No harm done?”

His smile was so cheery and innocent that Yang didn’t want to say anything, but she knew she had to. “Well, Lady Pyrrha came to rescue me, I guess. Since my dad works for her dad, my dad asked for Lord Nikos to send a troop here to save me from Lady Blake, but…” Yang looked down. “She stabbed Weiss to try and save me, and the only way for Lady Blake to save Weiss was… To turn her…”

Neptune’s eyes widened and the plate fell from his hands, into the dirt below.

“Lady Blake… _turned_ someone?” He seemed shocked. “She turned _Lady Weiss_?”

“Well, it was to save her life-”

Neptune shook his head, interrupting Yang. “She always said that being a vampire was a fate worse than death, and that she wouldn’t wish it on anyone.” He looked down at his food. “The hunger, the bloodlust, she said it was just…” He shook his head once more. “Even if it was to save Lady Weiss, I’m still surprised.”

Yang looked down at the food. “Well, she did. Are you going to want another plate?” She realized the words seemed huffy as soon as they left her mouth. It wasn’t Neptune’s fault that he wasn’t there. That he hadn’t seen Weiss dying in the reception room.

Neptune looked a little taken aback, but reached down and picked up the broken plate. “I’ll go back myself,” he said. “No need for you to run my errands for me.”

The two walked back to the kitchen in silence.

\---

After bringing meals to Velvet and Coco, Yang wandered back to the kitchen, where Chef Ren was angrily avoiding Neptune’s eyes and Neptune was stubbornly refusing to look at Yang. Nora had finished the cakes she was working on, and asked Yang to deliver the meals to Weiss and Lady Blake. Yang picked up a tray when Neptune piped up, offering to take one to Weiss, so Yang had to take hers to the mistress of the castle.

With brief directions on how to reach Lady Blake’s quarters, Yang set off, wondering what the Lady’s third floor looked like. As she ascended the stairs to the third floor, the first things she noticed were the windows. They had curtains, but over the windows and curtains both were planks of wood that had been nailed into place to keep the sunlight out. Yang walked to the door to Lady Blake’s suite and knocked.

No one answered.

Figuring that Lady Blake was likely in her bedroom and couldn’t hear the knock, Yang entered the living room. It was grand, much like Yang’s, but dark. While the furniture in Yang’s living room had been bright and gold, with sunlight or moonlight streaming in from the windows, the furniture in Lady Blake’s living room was notably black, just like her garden. The room was also missing mirrors, Yang noted as she walked to the door to the bedroom.

Yang knocked softly, but she heard a quiet ‘enter’ from the other side of the door and breathed with relief. Yang turned the doorknob and entered Lady Blake’s bedroom.

Much like the living room, the bedroom was dark. Lady Blake’s bedroom was much larger than Yang’s, likely due to the large 4-poster bed in the center of the room, dark curtains hanging from above to surround the grand bed. At the foot of the bed lie a coffin, deep black with a plush violet interior that Yang could barely see in the dim lighting.

“Lady Blake? I brought your food.” Yang called out, unsure.

A hand reached through the bed’s curtains, beckoning Yang forward, so she steeled her nerves and brought the plate in.

Lady Blake was sprawled on the bed, still in her night robe, silky black hair out in a fan behind her. Gambol sat on her stomach, purring, and she ran a lazy hand down his back, the other arm draped dramatically over her eyes.

“Thank you, Miss Xiao Long.” She said. There was an odd tremor in her voice, one Yang hadn’t heard in Lady Blake before. “You may leave.”

Yang looked back at the door, then down to Lady Blake. She looked so weak, so fragile.

“Are you… okay?” She asked hesitantly.

Lady Blake sighed and drew her knee up, exposing the tawny skin of her thigh.

“I’m never alright, Miss Xiao Long.”


	20. The Turning of Blake Belladonna

Yang sat down on the bed beside Lady Blake. The vampiress adjusted her arm, peering out at the young woman with a single golden eye.

“What are you doing, Miss Xiao Long?” Lady Blake asked carefully.

Yang looked at Lady Blake, seemingly small and helpless. If she hadn’t watched the Lady slam Lady Nikos into the wall earlier, she might have believed the façade.

“You need to stop being so dramatic,” Yang said bluntly, earning an irritated look from the Lady. “You saved Weiss’ life. I mean, is being a vampire so bad that-”

“Yes,” Lady Blake interrupted, bringing her arm down to rest at her side, placing a delicate hand on Yang’s own. “I fear I may have panicked. It might have been best if I had just let Weiss…” Lady Blake trailed off and looked away. “She may never forgive me, for what I have done to her. For turning her into this… _monster_. There is no way that the human lords would ever accept her campaign for the crown now.” Tears formed in the corners of her eyes. “I have taken away the one thing she had to live for. If she hates me and leaves me in the sun to die, I will not fault her.”

“She won’t do that,” Yang promised, interlacing her fingers with Lady Blake’s as she would when comforting Ruby. “I’m sure she knows that you were just trying to save her life. Besides, if she leaves _you_ in the sun, won’t that hurt everyone else here?”

Lady Blake stared at her hand, locked with Yang’s, running her thumb down Yang’s. “It is true,” she said finally. “Drudges are tied to the one who made them, and my pain is theirs.” She sighed. “Besides, Klein is not my drudge, he will survive. He is all she needs.”

‘ _So that’s what they are? ‘Drudges’?_ ’ Yang thought to herself. “Well, she’s _into_ Neptune, if you know what I mean, so she wouldn’t kill him,” Yang joked, earning a pained look from Lady Blake.

“The boy is kind, but not suitable for her social status,” Lady Blake reminded Yang. “She is aware of this, and had never acted on her feelings for him before. I highly doubt that she would do so now.”

“Well, still, she likes everyone else here. Do you really think she’d risk Velvet and Coco and the Rens just to get to you?” Yang shook her head. “Besides, you don’t even know that she _will_ be upset. What if she’s completely fine with it?”

Lady Blake considered this, but closed her eyes in defeat. “No one could enjoy this,” she said. “It is a half-life, and we are shells of who we used to be. This is why we must die from the bite before being reborn.”

Yang couldn’t help but roll her eyes. “Lady Blake, like I said, I really think you’re being a tad overdramatic.”

Lady Blake finally sat up, startling Gambol from his perch on her stomach. Lady Blake leaned toward Yang, and Yang blushed slightly at the view of Lady Blake’s cleavage barely contained by the silky fabric. The vampiress tightened her hold on Yang’s hand. “I have known only suffering since becoming _this_ ,” she hissed, black hair falling forward over her shoulder. “I long to return to my life as a human, but I cannot be unmade. All because of one _selfish_ man.” She leaned back, golden eyes flaring.

Yang tilted her head. “Lady Blake… How _did_ you become a vampire?”

Lady Blake sighed and lay back down on the bed, shifting onto her side. Gambol crawled back onto her, sitting himself comfortably in the crook of her waist, purring contentedly. Her robe had fallen open slightly, her right shoulder bare on the sheets on the bed, the robe barely covering her breasts as she reached her left hand back to stroke Gambol. The loose tie at her waist hardly kept the robe together, and her legs were bare, the robe splitting just above the thighs. Yang gulped and blushed harder, acutely aware of Lady Blake’s hand in hers.

She stroked Gambol thoughtfully for a moment before speaking. “I was a younger girl, Not much older than you. I had just married my beloved, Sun Wukong. We were both peasants, living under the same Lord.”

Yang nodded. So this ‘Sun Wukong’ buried in her poison garden beside her parents had been her husband. She looked away from Lady Blake’s exposed body, suddenly ashamed of looking at another woman in such a way. Particularly the widow of a man, not of a woman.

“The lord never left the castle much, simply stayed indoors, only awakening at night. I had been a maid for him, and he knew me well.” Lady Blake shuddered. “When he found that I had gotten married, he… grew angry. I didn’t understand. I still don’t. I was just his maid, we were never…” Her voice trailed off as she brought her left hand to cover her mouth, tears falling, her grip on Yang’s hand tightening further.

“He said that I belonged to him, and that I had no right to marry,” she continued after a long moment. “So he… he turned me, gathered up my parents and husband, and locked us in the dungeon without letting me feed. I tried not to, I tried so hard…” Lady Blake wept, drawing her knees in and curling into the fetal position.

Yang remembered her solemn words from earlier. ‘ _Newborns are always so thirsty._ ’ Yang’s eyes widened at the revelation, and her mouth dropped in shock.

“He made you… To your own _family_?” Yang began to tear up as well, imaging being forced to feed on Taiyang, Ruby, and Uncle Qrow. “What… How…”

Lady Blake looked up to Yang, golden eyes rimmed with red, eyebrows delicately tilted up in the middle. “I had to. I was so thirsty, and water did nothing…” a sob racked her fragile body. “I lasted an entire day before my father begged me to take him. With the rush of the blood, I… I took my mother as well, but she never blamed me. Neither of them did.” She shook her head. “I took two more days before I could take Sun. The entire time, he begged me, told me not to starve myself, that it was what my parents would have wanted…” She choked. “Even as I drained the last bit of his life, his last words were ‘ _I forgive you_ ’.”She balled up her hands and brought them to her face, sobbing uncontrollably.

Yang looked down at the vampiress. Tears fell from Yang’s lilac eyes, and she placed a trembling hand on Lady Blake’s shoulder. “I’m so sorry,” she whispered. “I had no idea.”

“No idea that I was such a _monster_?” Lady Blake laughed bitterly between sobs.

Yang shook her head. “ _You’re_ not a monster, the one who did this to you is,” she said firmly. “You’re just… a victim of circumstance.”

Lady Blake looked up at Yang, sad expression on her face. “I’m a monster, too. I killed them, drank them dry. I could have killed myself instead, restrained myself, but I couldn’t. I’m just as bad. I’m a _murderer_ , Yang.”

It was the first time Lady Blake had called Yang by her first name. She smiled weakly, reaching for Lady Blake’s hand once more. “I don’t think you’re a monster, Lady Blake,” She said soothingly. “And I think Weiss feels the same.”

Lady Blake sniffed, then set her left arm down, pushing herself up. Her left hand had landed on the tie to her robe, and as she rose, the tie came undone, the robe opening. Yang’s mouth went dry and her blush returned in full force. Lady Blake’s left breast was completely out of the robe now, and Yang tied not to stare at the dark areola, nipple puckered.

“Thank you, Yang.” Lady Blake said.

Yang nodded, trying to keep looking at Lady Blake’s face and not her body. The face that was coming closer.

Lady Blake’s soft lips met Yang’s, and Yang pulled away, startled. Lady Blake looked into Yang’s eyes, a blush creeping onto the vampiress' own face.

“I’m, sorry,” she said, turning away, pulling her robe closed and trying the knot securely. “I presumed much, but the way you looked at me, and having held my hand.” She reached for the plate of food, which Yang had forgotten about. “I wasn’t going to feed off of you, I promise.”

Yang flushed. “I… I was just… surprised.” She looked away. “I mean, you had a husband, I didn’t think that you…” She let the sentence trail off, standing. “I, um, I’ll head back to my room now. Sorry for disturbing you.”

Yang left awkwardly, feeling Lady Blake’s gaze on her back.


	21. Who is Adam?

Back in her own bed, Yang held her hands over her face, unsure whether to laugh at herself or to cry. There had not been any boys her age in her town, and she was more interested in riding and exploring than romance, anyway. But here, now, with Lady Blake, she couldn’t help but wonder if there was another reason she was so uninterested in boys. Yang’s face flushed at the memory of Lady Blake’s robe opening, her body barely covered, her breast completely free. Her kiss.

Yang groaned and rolled onto her side, heart racing. Why had she pulled away? Had she been afraid that the vampiress was going to bite her? No, she was afraid of something else. Of Lady Blake thinking Yang a hapless virgin, with no experience, no idea how to pleasure a woman.

Yang had never lie with another woman, but she certainly knew what felt good to herself. With a jolt, she remembered the original stack of books in her living room. She stood slowly and padded out to the table, where _Miss Manners_ looked up at her. With a gulp, she pushed _Miss Manners_ to the side, looking at _Ninjas of Love_ below. Yang delicately picked up the book, heart racing. She blushed fiercely as she re-read the book’s back. She nearly set the book down, but decided that it was necessary reading, as _Miss Manners_ had been.

She took _Ninjas of Love_ back to her bed, afraid that someone might judge her if she read it out in the openness of her living room. Unsure of quite what to expect, she cracked open the book under the safety of her covers.

The book started as any other piece of fiction might, with the slow introduction of characters exploring their environment, giving Yang insight into the world of _Ninjas of Love_. The main character was a young woman, around the same age as Yang, who is kidnapped from her plush life as a Lady by a mysterious man. The main character then finds out that the dark man is actually a ninja, and he had taken her to kill her as hired by the Lady’s family’s enemies.

However, the ninja instead takes the lady to his ninja village, where the Lady abandons her old life and trains with the man as a ninja. However, as the two grow closer, their sexual tension grows as well, until it finally snaps.

Yang was so invested in the book, reading through the built-up sexual encounter between the ex-Lady and the ninja, that she nearly shouted in surprise when there was a peppy knock on Yang’s bedroom door.

Yang hurriedly dog-eared the page and shoved _Ninjas of Love_ beneath her pillow. “Y-Yes! Come in!” Yang shouted, embarrassed.

Nora burst through the door, skipping to Yang with a plate. “You didn’t come down for the midnight meal, so I figured I’d bring you breakfast!” She said happily, setting the plate down on Yang’s bedside table. As the smell of food drifted to Yang’s nose, her stomach rumbled, though she had not realized how hungry she was.

“Oh! Right! Thank you, Nora!” Yang reached quickly for the food, hoping to wolf it down and get Nora out as quickly as possible. She would never admit it, but she was now too involved in the book to leave it alone. Unfortunately, Nora decided to sit down on Yang’s bed, and Yang had to stifle a groan.

‘ _This is what Lady Blake felt when I sat down on her bed, isn’t it?_ ’ Yang thought to herself. ‘ _Gotta love karma._ ’

“Are you okay?” Nora asked, and Yang wanted to groan as her own words came back to bite her in the ass. “You seem… on edge.” Nora crossed her arms as Yang swallowed her food.

“I’m fine, just… still processing what happened.” Yang said.

“Right,” Nora nodded. “You didn’t know about Lady Blake, did you?”

Yang shook her head with an exasperated sigh. “No, how could I? No one told me anything! I mean, Neptune _tried_ to, but then he got ‘punished’, and then he stopped talking to me about her.”

Nora shrugged. “Sorry, we have to do what we’re told. It’s part of being a drudge.” She swung her feet lazily off the edge of the bed. “I mean, Lady Blake’s done so much for us. She found me here in this castle, alone and afraid when I was a young girl. Instead of kicking me out, she let me stay.” Nora looked to Yang. “The last stable master, Mr. Port, taught me how to fight. Lady Blake never laughed at a small girl like me wanting to fight, she accepted my dreams.”

Yang looked hard at Nora. She began to realize that she really didn’t know much about anyone in the castle, except maybe Velvet, Weiss, and Neptune.

“I met Lie here, too,” Nora continued. “I liked him at first just because he gave me food. He’s Lady Blake’s oldest drudge, and she practically raised him after his entire town was slaughtered by Adam.” Nora looked down at her shoes. “I wanted to learn how to bake a cake to give to Lady Blake, to show her how much she meant to me, and Lie helped me. I guess I slowly fell for him after that.” Nora blushed and swung her feet faster.

Yang couldn’t help but chuckle at Nora’s tale. “So that’s how you became Mrs. Ren, then?”

Nora beamed up at Yang. “Yup! Lie may be a few hundred years older than me, but we make it work.” Nora joked.

Yang considered Nora’s words, chewing thoughtfully on her breakfast, then paused. She swallowed hard, staring into Nora’s turquoise eyes. “Wait, who is _Adam_?” Yang asked.

Nora looked away, then at Yang’s empty plate. “Oh, you’re all done! I’ll take that back to the kitchen!” Nora grabbed Yang’s plate hurriedly, jumping up to leave, but Yang grabbed her wrist.

“Nora,” Yang asked again. “Who _is_ Adam?”

Nora looked down at her shoes. “Adam… is the vampire who turned Lady Blake.” With that, Nora left.

\---

Yang didn’t sleep well during the day. She kept thinking of the hardships Lady Blake had undergone at the hands of this Adam. Her thoughts would inevitably turn back to the encounter she had had with Lady Blake, to the stolen glances and the kiss.

When Coco woke her the next day, Velvet not present, Yang figured something was wrong. “Is Velvet doing better?” Yang asked as Coco helped her dress.

Coco grunted. “As better as she can be, all things considered,” the fashionista proclaimed, tightening Yang’s bodice. “She’s always been delicate, she just needs time and to know what Weiss is okay.”

Yang looked over her shoulder at Coco. “And… _Is_ Weiss okay?”

Coco looked back into Yang’s lilac eyes.

“Ask her yourself.”


	22. Garlic

Yang turned back around quickly, expecting Weiss to be in the room, but it was still just her and Coco.

“I just finished getting her and Lady Blake ready for dinner,” Coco clarified, and Yang nodded, feeling foolish. Of course Weiss wasn’t in the room, Yang had just been looking.

Coco finished lacing up Yang’s bodice and made her up, then sent her off down to the dining room. Yang walked slowly, partially getting used to the heels still, and partially wondering what to say to Weiss. What could she say? What if she was angry with Lady Blake for turning her into a vampire, should Yang defend the castle’s mistress? These thoughts occupied her mind as she made her way down the hall of portraits to the reception room.

Beyond the door, Yang heard a laugh. Weiss. Yang relaxed, relieved that her friend was in good spirits. Yang opened the door and entered, smiling at the two vampires as they looked up at her entrance.

Weiss stood quickly, happy expression quickly fading. “Yang,” she said solemnly, hands fidgeting nervously. “I’m so sorry, about yesterday. When I, you know… tried to attack you.” Weiss looked down at her shoes nervously.

Yang blinked in surprise, then laughed. “Oh, Weiss, Lady Blake said newborns are always thirsty.” Yang swept forward and held Weiss’ hands in her own. “I’m just glad to see that you’re feeling better.”

Weiss pulled her hands away and stepped back nervously. “I- I’m doing a little bit better, but…” Weiss looked apologetically up at Yang. “I’d rather be on the safe side, if you catch my drift.”

Yang nodded and took a healthy step back, still smiling to let Weiss know that she wasn’t upset or fearful. “How are you feeling?” She asked sympathetically.

Weiss pulled her right arm across her body, holding her left elbow in her right hand. “I’m managing,” she said. “I feel terrible about those Nikos guards, but…” She let out a shuddering breath. “I couldn’t help it. I don’t know how to explain it. I was just… So caught up in the moment, and the blood…” Weiss shook her head. “I’m sorry, can we talk about something else?”

“Of course.” Yang nodded respectfully. She had never done anything like that before, but when Summer had died, she didn’t want to talk about it. She understood where Weiss was coming from. “How about dinner? Do you know what we’re having?”

“I asked for blackberry cake from Nora, since I’ve been having a rough time, but I don’t know what dinner’s going to be.” Weiss said. “We’ll have to wait and see, I suppose.”

Lady Blake stood, stretching her arms above her head, letting out a cat-like yawn. She turned to the girls. “Let’s go and see, shall we?”

\---

For their hors d’oeuvres, Klein served the ladies bruschetta, Lady Blake’s favorite. Yang’s was as it had been last time, but the vampiresses now had extra tomatoes and sauce piled on top of theirs, and Weiss sniffed the air longingly.

“ _Garlic_ ,” she said, staring at Yang’s plate. Yang looked down to her own plate in confusion, then realized that bruschetta did indeed have garlic on it.

“Doesn’t yours have garlic?” She asked Weiss, who shook her head sadly.

“Garlic kills vampires,” she informed Yang, staring hungrily at Yang’s bruschetta with a sigh. “Chef Ren makes our food separate, with utensils that have never cooked garlic, but have cooked blood.” She looked down at her bruschetta, piled high with extra tomatoes and sauce. “The blood smells good… It must be fresh.”

Lady Blake bit into her bruschetta delicately and chewed while thoughtfully watching Weiss do the same. “Well?” She asked after Weiss swallowed.

“It tasted good, I guess, but I miss the garlic.” Weiss looked sadly down at her own plate. “You can tell it’s missing something.”

Lady Blake smiled coyly. “Yes, it is missing something. Nora is notorious for having poor blood quality, which is why I prefer when Chef Ren uses his _own_ blood to cook, but he only has so much.”

Weiss looked up to her mistress, startled. “So… It just tastes odd because it’s Nora’s blood?”

Lady Blake nodded. “Trust me, Weiss, you won’t miss garlic. Just don’t drink from Nora or Velvet, they don’t taste too good.” She smiled and ate another bite of her bruschetta.

Weiss looked down at her plate, confused. “I _’won’t miss garlic_ ’?” She snuck another glance back to Yang’s plate and shook her head, and Yang had to stifle a laugh.

“Why _is_ garlic poisonous to vampires, anyway?” Yang asked. “Doesn’t it help keep humans healthy?”

Weiss turned to Lady Blake, hoping for an answer that would allow her to eat garlic again once more, but Lady Blake merely shrugged. “I don’t quite understand it myself,” she ceded, “but Ozpin will be here in two days for Weiss’ party. I’m sure such a learned man as himself would know.”

Yang looked back to Weiss, surprised. “Your party is in two days?” she asked, confused.

Weiss nodded. “Vampires have a faster means of communication than humans, and can travel extremely fast during the night,” she explained, waving her hand.

Yang was floored. It took _months_ for Uncle Qrow to wander from place to place on horseback, and for letters to be sent, but vampires had mastered the arts of communication and travel.

“So who is coming to this party, besides Ozpin?” Yang asked.

“Well, Ozpin is bringing his wife, of course, and Ozpin’s young drudge,” Weiss counted off on three fingers. “Raven will be coming, bringing along some woman named ‘Amber’ who we’ve never met, maybe her drudge?” She counted off two more fingers, and Yang’s heart skipped a beat. “The queen _was_ invited, of course, and she refused, saying that she was busy, and she would send her ‘daughter’ instead… So we can expect her, plus Mercury and Emerald…” Three more fingers. “Neopolitan never responds to invites anymore, we just invite her out of respect even though we know she generally doesn’t come.” Weiss looked down at her 8 fingers. “So, Ozpin, Glynda, Oscar, Raven, Amber, Cinder, Mercury, and Emerald.” She nodded her head at the final count.

“Well, I’m glad that I know you two and that I’m familiar with Ozpin’s work,” Yang said with a nervous laugh. That was a lot of vampires and drudges that she didn’t know. “Is that all the vampires that you know?”

“They’re the ones that matter, I suppose,” Lady Blake said with a sigh. “There are others, but aside from Cinder, the ones attending the party are the ones whom I consider to be friends.”

Yang nodded. So vampires were just like humans- cliques and friend groups. She wondered where Lady Blake’s clique stood in relation to the queen. “The queen, too? And Neopolitan?” she asked, deciding to test to waters.

Lady Blake looked at Yang thoughtfully. “Neo, yes. I would consider her a friend, though a distant one. The queen however…” She shook her head.

“She had no friends, only pawns.”


	23. Peter Port

After dinner, Yang and Weiss went to the barn for more practice riding side saddle. Yang was eager to take Weiss up on her earlier offer of a trail ride, and this seemed as good a time as any. She watched Neptune put Winter’s side saddle on, then put Shadow’s on by herself. Neptune beamed, seemingly impressed, even though Yang had told him that she knew her way around horses. Neptune outfitted a heavy storm-grey steed with a normal saddle for himself, and the trio made their way slowly through the gates. Shadow was nervous, but he had no choice but to follow along as Weiss led Winter to the trail and Neptune brought up the rear with his horse, Stormalong.

Yang sat nervously, trying not to clench with her left leg, keeping her hips squared and back as straight as possible. Looking as Weiss, so delicately draped over Winter’s side, with seemingly no effort to keep herself in place, Yang couldn’t help but be jealous.

‘ _I’m sure I can ride better than her astride_ ,’ Yang assured herself, adjusting her calf’s grip on Shadow’s side, trying to get comfortable without feeling like she was going to slide off.

A beowolf howled in the distance, spooking Shadow, but Winter seemed to not care. Yang looked at the mare in amazement. “She’s not afraid of the Grimm?” Yang asked.

Weiss turned slightly, looking over her shoulder. “She used to be, but she knows I’ll protect her,” the vampiress explained, patting a sheathed Myternaster at her side.

Yang looked back over her own shoulder at Neptune, Stormalong calm as well. The blue-haired boy ginned a raised his Guandao off of his shoulder. “Mr. Port taught me more than horses,” he explained.

Yang stared. “Didn’t… Mr. Port teach Nora how to use her hammer, too?” she asked.

Neptune nodded. “Yup! Before Nora and I were around, Mr. Port was both stablemaster and guard to Lady Blake,” he explained. “But when she moved to the new castle, he decided to retire. Nora was already there at the castle, and she showed interest in fighting, so I guess he taught her how to be Lady Blake’s guard.” He shook a finger. “But Nora does _not_ like horses, she says they’re too tall. So he found me and got me to take over the stables.”

Yang nodded. “Where did he go when he retired?”

Neptune was quiet for a moment. “He stayed to write his memoirs, he was just released from his pact as Lady Blake’s drudge and lived in the castle until he died. Nora and I buried him in the pasture, under the willow, like he wanted.” He looked down at his reigns. “He was 700 years old, said he was ready to die, but… I still miss him. He was like an uncle to me, you know?”

“I don’t remember him very well, but he taught me to ride and started my fencing lessons, before Nora took over,” Weiss piped up from the front. “He was a good man. Reminds me of Klein, to be honest.”

The three rode on in respectful silence.

\---

Back at the castle, Yang helped Neptune take care of the horses, removing the saddles and brushing them down. She fed Winter and Stormalong some treats along with Shadow, finding that Winter was a friendly but impatient mare while Stormalong was a giant, lazy baby that wanted attention from anything that breathes.

As the two took hoof picks to the horses, Neptune looked to Yang. “Do you… want to visit him?” He asked hesitantly.

“Visit who?” Yang asked, peeking around Stormalong’s wide berth.

“Mr. Port,” Neptune replied, nodding to the pasture.

Yang mulled it over. Mr. Port meant a lot to Neptune and to Nora, and likely to Lady Blake as well. “Yeah, sure,” she said, smiling to Neptune.

\---

Under the willow was a small headstone, nothing fancy. ‘ _Peter Port_ ’, it read: _’Protector of House Belladonna, Hunter of Grimm. Your stories will be shared.’_

Yang tilted her head. “He… hunted Grimm?”

Neptune laughed and nodded. “Yeah, he was a badass. Wasn’t even like the last Castle Belladonna had a huge Grimm problem, from what I hear, he just enjoyed it.” Neptune laughed, shaking his head. “He would always say, ‘ _One less Grimm out there scaring people in the woods, son!_ ’” Neptune mimicked in a deep, manly voice with a broad smile.

Yang laughed. “He sounds like he was a great man,” she said, resting her elbow on Neptune’s shoulder.

“He really was,” Neptune said fondly, smiling down at the grave. “He said he wanted to kill one thousand Grimm in retribution for his family, and that Lady Blake allowed him to do that with his seven hundred years…” His face darkened. “I just wish he had expanded his goal to stay with us longer. Even just a hundred more. I mean, the queen never got angry with him for killing Grimm.”

Yang looked at Neptune, eyebrows furrowed. “What do you mean?”

Neptune looked down at Yang, realizing he had said too much once again. “Well… Ask Ozpin when he comes, he researched the Grimm back when he was human.” Neptune sighed.

Yang would have pressed, but knowing that Ozpin would be there tomorrow, she let Neptune slide. _This_ time.

\---

Yang changed out of her dusty riding dress for the midnight meal, then grabbed Mr. Port’s memoirs from the library. As she settled down in the living room to start reading, she remembered the novel tucked beneath her pillow. It wasn’t right to read two books at once, was it? ‘ _I should go finish ‘Ninjas of Love’ before starting another book_ ,’ Yang told herself, setting Mr. Ports memoirs down on the table and stealing into her bedroom.

When she had left off, things were just starting to heat up, and to be thrown back into it so suddenly was a little shocking. Yang’s face was deep red as she devoured the story, surprising herself at how much she enjoyed the lewd content, even if the author did have a little too much fun comparing the ninja’s manhood to different weapons.

Her skin grew hot as she read, and she could feel wetness between her legs. Yang looked about nervously, though she knew she was alone in her bedroom, and slowly reached her hand down between her thighs as she read.

Reading about the male ninja and the female ex-lady, she wasn’t sure whether to project herself onto the lady and a man onto the ninja or not. Remembering her earlier interaction with Neptune, with him not moving away as she placed her elbow on his shoulder, she continued to read, imagining instead herself and Neptune in the places of the ninja and the ex-lady.

As she rubbed herself, finger brushing her G-spot, the memory of Lady Blake’s kiss kept pushing itself into her mind. As Yang began to lose herself, Neptune was gone completely, replaced with thoughts of Lady Blake.

Yang knew she was done for as she orgasmed, the vampiress’ name on her tongue.


	24. Preparations

Velvet woke Yang early the next night, before the sun even fell. “The guests will be arriving soon after sunset, so Lady Blake asked me to have you help set up. Normally Weiss would, but she can't be out in the sunlight anymore, so...”

Yang nodded as she yawned, crawling out of bed. As her lilac gaze swept around the room lazily, she caught a glimpse of the book on her nightstand. She froze, horrified, as Velvet picked the book up and turned it over with a sigh.

“I- I was- It’s not-” Yang stuttered, face flushing, reaching a trembling hand out to _Ninjas of Love_.

Velvet looked at Yang, then laughed out loud. “Oh, I used to read Patty Berdioler, too,” the maid confessed.

“You did?” Yang asked, relaxing.

“Of course, I was lonely. But then Coco came, and she brought some books by Sapphos Oum with her…” Velvet smiled fondly, thinking of either her woman or the books. Or possibly both.

“What are Sapphos’ books about?” Yang asked hesitantly.

Velvet grinned an uncharacteristically devious grin, pointing to _Ninjas of Love_. “That, but without men.”

Yang’s jaw dropped. She looked at _Ninjas of Love_ nervously, then looked up at Velvet through her bangs. “Do you think… Coco would let me borrow them sometime?”

“I’m sure she would, but you might have to fight Lady Blake or Lady Weiss for them!” Velvet laughed.

Yang blushed harder, heart speeding up at the thought of Lady Blake reading Sapphos.

\---

Coco wasn’t ready with the makeup by the time Yang finished dressing, so the blonde took a moment to skim through Ozpin’s works. She had been so caught up in _Ninjas of Love_ that she hadn’t even read the books penned by a guest who was arriving today, and she felt shameful as she perused the material quickly rather than reading it carefully.

While she had greatly enjoyed his theories of Grimm, these new books that Weiss had selected for her were rather interesting as well. Looking through the stack, she set ‘ _The Secret Crusade: The Third Crusade and Why It’s Hidden_ ’ and ‘ _The End of Mountain Glenn_ ’ aside, picking up a book with dynamic picture of a young girl in a red cloak on the cover. The title read ‘ _Fairy Tales: The Truth Behind the Myth_ ’.

Yang flipped through, taking in the pages casually, reading up on a chapter about an old fairy tale about four maidens and the seasons they represented, skipping through another on a tale about two brothers that she had never even heard of before, until she reached a chapter towards the end. The chapter’s title read ‘ _The Roses with Silver Eyes_ ’. Yang stared down at the book, too shocked to read, when Coco knocked and immediately entered.

“Coco…” Yang huffed, not wanting to put the book down, “Why do you bother knocking if you’re just going to barge in anyway?”

“I’m a busy woman, Yang. I can’t stand around outside all night waiting for people to decide they’re ready to answer the door.” She set her makeup down on the table heavily. “If you know I’m coming, you’d best be descent.”

Yang chuckled and rolled her eyes, earning a smile from the fashionista as she set to work.

\---

Downstairs, Velvet led Yang to the first room down the hallway to the library and servant’s quarters, where the doors were wide and the curtains open, letting in the last rays of sunlight. The room was a grand ballroom, with dazzling chandeliers, gorgeous windows, painted ceilings, and extravagant tile. Klein and Neptune were hard at work removing sheets from couches and chaises and chairs, the elderly butler pointing where the heavy pieces need to go. Velvet bustled over to the giant fireplace and crouched, setting kindling and tinder in to start the fire. Nora rushed in behind Yang and handed her a tray, then turned and ran back out as quickly as she had come, leaving yang confused as to her part.

“Over on those tables,” Klein directed, noting Yang’s confusion and pointing to a group of tables in the corner with plates of finger food already placed. Yang nodded and walked the plate over, happy to have a job. She set the plates about, trying to find which spot was better suited to bruschetta or to a gross-looking tartlet with crème and fish eggs when Nora returned with a plate of the most elegant pigs-in-a-blanket Yang had ever seen.

“How many more plates are there?” Yang asked, looking at the array already set out worriedly.

“Only 4 more, but Lie’s getting a little worried about the spinach puffs so maybe just 3.” Nora shrugged. “I gotta go, those eggs won’t devil themselves!” With that, the small ginger ran off again, and Yang understood why she chose skirts and dresses that ended and flared above the knee.

“How’s the food coming?” Velvet asked, walking up with a large, clinking box.

“Good, I guess, Nora says there’s 4 more dishes. Or 3, if the spinach puffs don’t turn out.” Yang shook her head. “Where does she get all that energy?”

Velvet laughed and set the box down, taking off the lid to reveal stemware. “I wish I knew, I could use some of that tonight.” Velvet began to set the glasses down on the table adjacent to the food.

“How much time until the first guest arrives?” Yang asked, reaching into the box to assist the maid.

“Oh, probably an hour or two after sunset…” Velvet guessed. “Vampires are keenly aware of time constraints, so they won’t be too early… Besides, they _love_ to be fashionably late.”

Yang laughed. “If they’re all late, then are they _really_ late?”

“Yes,” Velvet said, giving Yang a withered look. “Vampires _can_ be late. Don’t let Lady Blake tell you otherwise.”

Yang laughed even harder.

\---

The plates were set out, the furniture in its proper place, and the fire blazing heartily when the sun finally set and Velvet and Coco left to prepare Lady Blake and Weiss for the party while Klein went to search for the gramophone. Neptune flopped down on a fancy couch, stolen tartlet in hand, and feigned exhaustion.

“Oh, I’m _so_ tired! I need to sleep for a year!” the stableboy joked in falsetto, free hand thrown across his forehead, palm out.

Yang laughed and threw a soft pillow at him. “ _Please_ , you didn’t have the tedious task of arranging the food!” She waved a hand dramatically to the corner, grinning.

“Well, my dear Yang, it looks as though you overfilled the table!” Neptune said, reaching across the couch’s arm to steal another tartlet, only to have his hand swatted away.

“I did a _perfect_ job! The food looks lovely, so well displayed!” Yang added a fake snooty accent, tilting her nose up.

“No, you did a terrible job!” Neptune stood and grabbed a mini quiche before Yang could stop him, popping it in his mouth. “Fhere, mhuck bhettrr!”

Yang laughed and popped a spinach puff into her own mouth, glad that they cooked well.

The two joked as they snuck food, laughing, until a heavy knock sounded from the front door. Yang and Neptune looked at each other momentarily, then Neptune’s eyes widened.

“Shit! Their horses!” He ran out of the ballroom, turning to say a quick goodbye before disappearing around the corner.

Yang waited in the corner, checking her décolletage for crumbs. She heard Klein answer and let the first vampire enter Castle Belladonna. Yang waited, hands folded demurely in front as Lady Blake had shown her, and listened as Klein spoke with the guest while they walked down the hall.

‘ _A woman_ ,’ Yang thought, listening to the feminine, husky responses to Klein’s words. ‘ _Maybe Cinder, the princess_?’

As Klein rounded the corner, he stood by the door as Weiss had done when Yang was first brought to the castle. “Lady Raven and her drudge, Miss Amber,” the butler announced before taking his leave.

Lady Raven and Miss Amber entered the ballroom, looking about. Amber, the drudge, had a dark complexion, with long brown hair and deep brown eyes, scanning wearily. She wore a riding gown of dark browns and tans, with a green cape, and had a staff strapped to her back. Raven, the vampiress, wore her hair in a ponytail, not unlike the one Yang herself would wear when riding, and her red eyes searched the room, seemingly on a mission. Her riding gear was completely black save for her red underdress, peeking out from beneath her riding coat and side skirts.

As Raven’s gaze fell on Yang, their eyes locked, and Yang's stomach dropped.

Having found her prey, Raven marched forward, black skirts trailing out behind her, headed straight for Yang.


	25. Floriculture

Yang took a step back as Raven approached, wary of the vampiress. Raven’s eyes were determined as she stopped before Yang, seeming to tower over the girl despite being only a few inches taller. Yang’s mouth went dry as Raven’s red eyes bored deep into her own, searching.

“Who are you?” She asked finally, red eyes narrowing.

Yang slowly extended her hand. “I’m Yang. Yang Xiao Long.” Raven’s eyes widened in surprise. “I’m not a noble or anything, but Lady Blake is training me as a Lady…”

“Why?” Raven demanded, leaning in closer.

“Um, I don’t really know…” Yang gulped and shrank away.

“Oh, Yang, _there_ you are!” Coco called, strolling in from the doorway and drawing Raven’s attention. “I need you to help me with the flowers, darling. Floristry is an important skill for ladies.” Coco hurriedly grabbed Yang’s hand and briskly led her back out of the room, saving her from Raven’s interrogation. Yang spared a look over her shoulder as she left, and saw that both Raven and Amber were staring her down.

Yang shuddered, following Coco happily.

\---

“Now, there’s more to an arrangement than just the flowers,” Coco instructed, pointing to the ferns. “We also have to consider the greens, and what kind of filler we want.” Yang nodded studiously. “For the size of these vases, 5 stems should be enough for greens.”

Coco bent down and showed Yang how to harvest the fern properly, cutting the stem at an angle to let it absorb water, and how to set them neatly in the vases. Weiss walked over with a gloved fist full of belladonnas from the poison garden, to use as the accent piece for the arrangements. Coco and Weiss demonstrated how to place the black lilies, delphinium, lisianthus, and Lady Blake’s special Baccara roses that Ruby had loved so much. Each belladonna bloom was placed prominently in the center, as the tallest stem, before the rest of the arrangement was filled out with dark caspia for a splash of color, matching the shade of the belladonna and bringing the black and purple arrangement together.

“Mine looks…” Yang struggled for words, eyebrows furrowed as she stared at the vase of stems. “…Not like yours.”

Weiss looked up from her second vase to judge Yang’s handiwork, and she sighed sadly. “Well, we all start somewhere, right Coco?”

“Indeed,” Coco agreed. “I remember _your_ first arrangements, Miss _Baby’s Breath_.”

Weiss crinkled up her nose and stuck out her tongue as Coco, making Yang laugh. The blonde let Weiss help her through re-making her arrangement, this time looking much better. Yang stood back, proudly admiring her work.

“Nice work,” Coco praised, looking over, and Weiss patted Yang on the back.

“We make a good team.” Yang ginned at Weiss, and the young vampire smiled back.

“Let’s see you make your own now, Miss Xiao Long.”

\---

After the arrangements were completed, the ladies brought a few in to the dining room to place on the long table, now set for 11, and took the rest to the ballroom. Raven was no longer in the room, apparently gone to change out of her riding gear and into her ballgown, according to Klein’s information as the butler fiddled with the gramophone.

Once the arrangements were in place, Coco left to the servant’s quarters to assist Velvet, while Klein went to the foyer to welcome guests.

“Vampires can only enter if they’re invited in,” Weiss explained as she sat down on the plush couch.

“What if they didn’t get invited in by Klein?” Yang asked, taking a seat beside her.

Weiss shrugged. “I guess they’d be stuck outside until someone invited them in.”

Yang looked off pensively. “Does it have to be a specific welcome, or is opening the door good enough?” 

“Definitely a specific ‘welcome’ or ‘please come in’,” Weiss clarified. “You can open the door and not want someone to come in.”

Yang tilted her head. “I guess that makes sense.” She looked back at Weiss. “If you don’t get invited in, can your drudge go in and invite you inside?”

Weiss’ jaw dropped. “I… never even thought about that. Yang, you’re a genius!”

Yang shrugged. “Just a thought.”

The women heard the front door open once more, the muffled far-off voice of Klein welcoming another guest to the party.

“Who do you think that is?” Weiss asked absently, looking over at the door to the ballroom.

“Who knows?” Yang said. “Could be anyone. Well, almost anyone. Can’t be Raven and Amber, they’re already here.”

Weiss’ head whipped back around. “When did they get here?” she asked.

“Oh, right after sunset. It was odd, Velvet had just said that the first guests probably wouldn’t get here for another hour or so.” Yang thought back to Raven’s arrival. “Raven was really weird, too. She got way too close to me, and asked weird questions…”

“What kind of questions?” Weiss narrowed her eyes at Yang.

Yang lifted a single eyebrow. “Just… Who I was, why I was here? I don’t know, maybe she was expecting you?”

Weiss rolled her eyes and tossed her off-center ponytail back. “Well _of course_ she was expecting me, the party _is_ in my honor, after all.” She stared back at the door. “Still… I wonder what she’s up to. What about her drudge?”

“Amber?” Yang thought back to the brown girl. “She looked like she doesn’t trust anyone. Not like she's afraid per se, but... tense? Ready? Like she was expecting something bad to happen? I don’t know how to explain it.” 

Weiss looked curiously back at Yang. “Well, I’ll meet her soon enough, I’m sure I’ll understand then.”

The two sat in silence for a moment before Yang piped back up.

“Why aren’t they coming down here yet?” She asked.

“Oh, guests are shown to their suites first, where they can change out of traveling gear and into proper attire,” Weiss explained.

Yang’s eyebrows came together. “That’s not what happened with Raven and Amber.”

Weiss turned back to Yang once more. “Raven came _here_ first?” Yang nodded. “Why?”

“I don’t know, I thought that’s just how things went.” Yang shrugged.

“No,” Weiss shook her head. “That’s _not_ how things go. I can’t _believe_ she came down here in her dusty riding clothes!” Weiss huffed and crossed her arms, but Yang’s mind was working furiously. 

“I’ll be right back, I need to powder my nose,” Yang said as she stood up quickly from the couch, heading to the foyer.

Klein was sitting in a high-backed armchair beside the massive doors, but the old man stood as Yang approached. “Hello, Miss Xiao Long,” he said cordially. “Do you need assistance?”

“I just have a question, actually.” Yang smiled politely. “Do you know why Raven and amber went to the ballroom first, before going to their suites?”

Klein looked a little surprised, but he nodded. “Indeed. The Lady asked to see you as quickly as possible. She said she had urgent business with you.”

“Are you sure?” Yang asked. “I don’t really even know her, and she didn’t seem to have any business…”

"Oh, but I do have business with you," a voice called from behind.

The hairs on the back of Yang's neck prickled as she turned slowly, looking back to the curved staircase behind her.

Raven stared back down with hungry red eyes.

"We have a _lot_ to talk about."


	26. Ozpin

Yang looked up at Raven as the vampiress descended, Amber trailing along behind. “About what, exactly?” she demanded, not trusting the newcomer. Raven’s red eyes flashed, but Yang held her ground.

“I have a… special interest in you,” Raven finally admitted, “and I need to know how you came to be here at this castle with Lady Blake.”

Yang crossed her arms indignantly. “ _Why_ do you have a special interest in me?”

Raven narrowed her eyes. “I _just do_.”

“Well, then, as for why I’m here,” Yang said as she turned and strode back toward the ballroom, “I _just am_.” She had had enough of bullying at the hands of vampires, and she was tired of it. Let this _Raven_ be angry, she didn’t care. She heard Amber chuckle as she walked back to the ballroom, finding Weiss once more.

“You asked Klein about Raven.” Weiss didn’t ask, she just knew.

Yang nodded. “Apparently, she wanted to see me, but she wouldn’t say why.” She looked over her shoulder as the guest and her drudge entered the ballroom, along with three other guests. She recognized the silver-haired man and the blonde woman from one of the paintings, but the young, black-haired, dark-skinned boy was unknown to her. “Who are they?” Yang asked, gesturing.

“Oh, let me introduce you,” Weiss grabbed two flutes of bubbly liquid and one of a dark red liquid from the drink table and led Yang over to the three, where she handed the man the red drink and the woman and the boy the bubbly drinks.

“Yang, this is Ozpin.” Weiss, gestured to the silver-haired man with small, round glasses and brown eyes, who simply nodded. “These are his drudges, Glynda-” Ozpin held up a hand.

“This is my _wife_ and research partner,” the vampire corrected, fixing Weiss with a stare.

The blonde woman held out a delicate hand, which Yang shook. “Glynda Goodwitch,” she stated cordially, then placed a soft hand on the boy. “This is our son, Oscar.” The boy took a sip from his drink, staring at Yang.

Yang smiled at Oscar and extended her hand. “Hi Oscar, I’m Yang.” Oscar looked at her hand but did not shake it, and after a moment, Yang awkwardly brought her hand back to her side. “Nice to meet you too, I guess,” she muttered.

“He’s just shy,” Glynda explained, patting the boy’s head.

“I’m not shy,” Oscar piped up in a raspy voice, surprising Yang. “I just don’t want to be here.”

“Oscar, don’t be rude!” Ozpin said sharply to his ‘son’, who withdrew, taking another sip from his bubbling drink.

“Well… Um, Ozpin, I’ve read some of your work!” Yang said, trying to ease the tension. “I really liked ‘ _On Monsters_ ’!”

Ozpin snorted. “I take it you don’t know the truth about the Grimm yet, then?”

Yang blinked. “No… Why? What _is_ the truth about the Grimm?”

“They’re just the Queen’s pets. Nothing more, nothing less,” Ozpin said bitterly, taking a sip of his red drink. Blood, Yang realized as she watched its consistency and smelled the slight metallic overtones.

“So… All those stories, all those folktales about the Grimm…” Yang began.

“Just humans, trying to explain a bored vampiress’ creation.” Glynda finished, eyes sad as she laid a comforting hand on Ozpin’s shoulder.

Yang’s mind reeled. Grimm were just creations of the vampire queen? “But why would she make creatures that kill only the very creatures that she feeds off of?” Yang asked, confused.

“To throw the scent off of us? To compete with weaker vampires to make them evolve?” Ozpin shrugged. “I don’t pretend to know why she made the Grimm. What I do know is that there is only one vampire that they follow commands from.”

“The Queen,” Yang guessed, and Ozpin nodded. “What else do you know about the queen? I’ve never met her.” Yang implored.

Ozpin took a deep drink of blood, then gestured to the couch. “If you want me to tell you about the vampire queen, I suggest you sit down.”

\---

“What would you like to know first?”

Ozpin had taken a seat in the middle of the couch, with Glynda to his right and Yang to his left. Weiss had gone to the other side of the room to sit with Raven and Amber, who had been staring Yang down, while Oscar sat before the fireplace and stroked a content Shroud, who purred happily in the boy’s lap.

“Well…” Yang thought for a moment. “How did you meet the Queen?”

“The Queen was the one who turned me into a vampire,” Ozpin explained, and Glynda reached over to hold his hand supportively. “I was researching Grimm with my partner at the time, Doctor Bartholomew Oobleck, when we happened upon her lair. She was going to kill us both at first, but then she had a better idea… She had a drudge of hers flip a coin, and I was heads while my friend Dr. Oobleck was tails. Whoever won would become a vampire, and whoever lost would become their first victim.” He paused. “As you can surmise, the coin landed on heads.”

Yang thought back to Lady Blake, being forced to feed on her own family and husband. “Why… Why did she do that? Make you into a vampire and force you to feed on your research partner?”

Ozpin sighed, and Yang saw his hand squeeze around Glynda’s. “I suppose she was bored. That seems to be the key motivation for most of what she does.”

“And the rest of the vampires just… _Let_ her do these things? Let _other_ vampires do horrible things to humans?” Yang felt sick.

“The world of vampires is vastly different from the one of humans, Miss Yang,” Glynda explained. “While human kings and queens are ephemeral, our queen reigns eternal, and so does her culture. We live as she dictates. Any hint of dissent, and I would be drained while he would be left in the sunlight.”

Yang looked back and forth between Glynda and Ozpin. Neither of the two looked like monsters, but she could see in their eyes a darkness, and knew in her heart that both had done terrible things in their life in order to survive under the vampire queen’s reign of terror. Ozpin’s eyes flicked behind Yang, and she turned, looking at Oscar sitting peacefully with Shroud in his lap.

“You can’t do anything because the Queen would kill him,” Yang breathed, and turned back to the pair, seeing Ozpin nodding.

“I never asked for this fate. I never asked for the coin to land on heads. But this is the unlife I was given, and I have taken it in stride as best I could.” He straightened his spine, sitting tall and proud. “Due to how vampire society works, no vampire is allowed to openly say that they detest the Queen, or they will be punished.” He fixed Yang with a stare. “But I certainly hold no love for the woman.”


	27. Oscar

Yang and Weiss met back by the drink table. “So, how was Ozpin?” Weiss asked, picking a glass of bubbling liquid, shaking her head, then setting it down and picking up a glass of blood. “Did he chat your ears off like I warned you?”

“No,” Yang said. “If anything, I think I’ll talk to him more later, but her seems a little down right now. I asked him how he met the Queen, and he told me how he became a vampire.” Weiss clucked and shot Yang a disapproving look. “What? I didn’t know it was taboo, it’s not like you guys tell me anything!” Yang sighed. “How’d it go with raving Raven?”

Weiss rolled her eyes. “Don’t call her that, that’s rude. Anyway, I think she just likes you.”

Yang squinted at Weiss. “What do you mean she _likes me_? She seems pretty mean.”

“No, I mean I think she _likes_ you.” Weiss turned to Yang. “Like the way Coco and Velvet like each other, even though they’re both women.”

Yang sputtered. “Wait, you mean- You think- You- Raven-” She looked over at the black haired vampiress and met her red gaze, then flushed. It was true that Yang had started questioning her sexuality, but Raven was _not_ the woman that she wanted to do so with.

Right on que, Klein announced the last of the guests to arrive, and Lady Blake with them. Yang turned to the entrance of the ballroom as a young vampiress with side-swept grey-black hair and orange eyes strode into the room with a lovely black and red ballgown, tailed by a dark-skinned woman with unusual mint green hair and red eyes, and a smug man with silver hair and eyes. But what had caught Yang’s attention was the vampiress behind them.

Lady Blake’s hair fell in slightly curled tresses, a few falling forward over shoulders, bouncing slightly as she walked. Her golden eyes were shadowed with light purple eyeshadow, a single pop of color in an otherwise neutral make over. Her dress was black as the night, with a lacy purple sash around her natural waist, highlighting the thinnest part of her torso, while the low Queen Anne neckline brought Yang’s eyes directly to Lady Blake’s ample bust. Yang’s breath was taken away as Lady Blake slowly made her way over, smiling mischievously.

“Hello, Miss Xiao Long.” Lady Blake’s voice was as sweet as honey. “Are you entertaining the guests?”

“Yes, of course,” Yang responded, pointing over to Ozpin. “I just had a wonderful conversation about Grimm with Ozpin.”

‘ _A wonderful conversation about Grimm???_ ’ Yang chastised herself. ‘ _Stop being stupid! Stop pointing!_ ’ She forced her arm down and laughed nervously, avoiding Lady Blake’s eyes.

“Excellent,” Lady Blake purred, leaning in close. “I have a special favor to ask of you though, if you don’t mind.”

Yang gulped and looked up at the vampiress. “What is it?” With the way Lady Blake looked, Yang might just do anything she asked.

“You’ve met Raven, correct?” Lady Blake asked, and Yang nodded. “Good. Don’t talk to her.” With that, Lady Blake strode off to speak with Weiss.

\---

The guests had another half an hour before dinner was served, during which Yang set down beside Oscar. Much like Ruby, the boy sensed something about the castle, something that didn’t want people there, and it made him anxious. Oscar told Yang that he had been found by Lady Blake, and that the Lady had offered him a home in her castle. He had the same feeling then as he had now from the castle, but Ozpin and Glynda had been staying at the time and had offered to take him with them to find him a new home. He ended up liking them so much that he decided to stay with them in the end.

“So, you’re not really their son?” Yang asked, confused.

“No, of course not.” Oscar shook his head. “I don’t look anything like them. Besides, my dad can’t actually _have_ kids anymore. Kids are for humans, not for vampires.”

“Really?” Yang was surprised that Ozpin and Glynda talked about that with Oscar. “How did you find that out?”

Oscar shrugged. “Dad does a lot of research about vampires. None of the other vampires do, and he says there’s enough humans researching humans.” Oscar looked up at Yang excitedly. “Did you know it was my dad who found out that vampires are supposed to eat half human food, half blood? Before my dad started his research, there were vampires who only ate human food once or twice a week, and they didn’t understand why they were so weak.”

“Wow, your dad sure is smart, huh?” Yang said, and Oscar beamed.

“Yeah! He says that even though he’s a vampire and needs blood now, it doesn’t mittle… it’s doesn’t mitten… mittagrate?”

“Mitigate?” Yang guessed, smiling at the boy's surprisingly expansive vocabulary.

“Yeah, it doesn’t mitigate the fact that his body still needs… um, ‘calories’ and ‘proteins’.” Oscar shrugged. “But anyway, my dad does all kinds of cool vampire research. Did you know that he even found a way to end vampirism for good?” Oscar’s eyes sparkled as he leaned in. “It’s a really big secret, thought.”

Yang leaned in close. “Oh, I like secrets. What is it?”

Oscar cupped his hand and whispered into Yang’s ear. “If you can kill the Queen, all the vampires will turn back into humans.” He leaned back proudly. “Dad says it’ll never happen, because she’s so strong, but the Lady wants to try.”

Yang’s eyebrows furrowed together. “What Lady, Oscar?”

“That one.” Oscar pointed over to where Raven sat in the corner, arguing with Lady Blake.

\---

At dinner, Yang sat beside Weiss on the right side of the table, rather than at Lady Blake’s left hand. She was supposed to sit next to Ozpin, but Oscar asked his father politely to switch seats, and now the young boy sat proudly with Yang to his left and his mother to his right, while Ozpin sat at the end of the right side.

Directly to Lady Blake’s left sat Cinder Fall, the ‘daughter’ of the vampire queen, and beside her sat her drudges, Emerald and Mercury. Farther down were Raven and an uncomfortable-looking Amber, who kept looking at Yang despite the distance.

With the new information Oscar had given her, Yang couldn’t help but wonder about Raven. Who was she? Why did she want to return all vampires to their human forms? At one point during the meal, Yang caught Raven looking at her, and instead of looking away, stared her down, searching the vampiress’ red eyes for answers.

There were none to be found.

Despite Lady Blake’s earlier warning, Yang decided the only thing to do was to talk to the woman after all.

Yang inclined her head to Raven slightly, surprising the woman, but Raven nodded back.

They would talk after all.


	28. A Much Needed Talk

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I don't know how to convey this any other way but this is how you need to imagine Amber during the last part:  
> 

After dinner, the group headed back to the ballroom once more, and Yang couldn’t help but wonder at the grand room sparsely filled with the 8 guests. There had been two other vampires invited, Neopolitan and the Queen, but were there even enough vampires to fill the ballroom had the uninvited come as well? Yang shook her head, imagining her entire town barely being able to fit into the massive room, yet Lady Blake’s friends not even making a dent in the space.

‘ _This must be why she wanted Ruby_ ,’ Yang mused. ‘ _Aside from Weiss and her drudges, she doesn’t really have any friends_.’

As the guest of honor, Weiss was the one everyone wanted to dance with, leaving Yang able to sneak around to where Raven stood off to the side with Amber. The red-eyed vampiress carefully gauged Yang’s approach, Amber snorting and rolling her eyes as Yang extended her hand.

“Miss Raven,” Yang said in her most courtly voice, “may I have this dance?”

Raven’s face softened, a sadness taking over momentarily as she took Yang’s hand, leading the blonde to the dance floor.

“I take it you were only taught to dance as a woman?” Raven surmised, and Yang nodded. “Then I’ll lead. I have done both.”

Yang’s heart hammered as she imagined the lovely black-haired woman leading other young women about the dance floor. She took a deep breath to steel her nerves, then looked into Raven’s red eyes. Raven looked back, again, surprisingly sad. Just like in the portrait.

“So…” Yang said awkwardly, and Raven’s guard fortified once more. “I talked to Oscar. He told me some… _Interesting_ things.”

Raven tilted her head in confusion. “ _Oscar_? Oszpin’s boy?” She lifted a single eyebrow. “I have no idea what he could have _possibly_ told you about me.”

“Oh, just some things,” Yang smiled demurely, looking about. She noted that Cinder danced with Weiss at the opposite end of the ballroom, Mercury and Emerald together nearby. She looked back to Raven. “Some things about a cure… about Cinder’s ‘mother’…”

A panicked look flashed over Raven’s face as she stepped out from the dance.

“I… That’s not what I wanted to talk to you about,” Raven said hastily. “Listen, there’s more going on here, and there’s something that I need to tell you, something that you need to hear from _me_ and _not_ from Belladonna-”

Yang crossed her arms. “What? Were you going to use me to try and convince Lady Blake of your schemes? Don’t think I didn’t see you two arguing earlier, because we _all_ did.”

Raven’s eyes narrowed. “Yang, it’s _not what you think_.”

“It doesn’t matter if it’s what I think,” Yang said, shaking her head. “I don’t care if you’re using me or not.” She looked up into Raven’s red eyes. “I’m in.”

The vampiress’ eyes widened. “ _What?_ I don’t…”

“Listen. I don’t know what you get out of all of this, but if your story is anything like Lady Blake’s, then I don’t blame you.” Yang placed a hand on Raven’s shoulder, but the woman drew back. “Hey, I’m here to help. I won’t say anything to the princess. If you want me to help convince Lady Blake, I will. If you want me to do something else, just tell me what to do.” She shook her head. “Lady Blake hasn’t been happy since the day she was turned. Now Weiss has lost her chance to reclaim her throne. I want to change that.”

Raven stared hard at Yang for a long moment. “You’ve got it all wrong,” she said finally, turning and walking back to her drudge.

\---

Yang sat beside Oscar, watching the vampires and drudges dance while the boy read. After her conversation with Raven, she wasn’t sure what to think. If the vampiress hadn’t wanted to use her to get Lady Blake to help end vampirism for good, then what _had_ she wanted to talk to Yang about? She stared at the woman from across the room, watching as she spoke with Cinder while Amber shot Mercury’s invitation to dance down, much to Emerald’s delight.

Watching the five interact was an odd spectacle. Were Cinder and Raven in league? Did Cinder want to stop being a vampire as well? And what made Amber so different from the other drudges, that she kept warily scanning the room and shrinking away whenever someone extended their hand in invitation to dance? She watched Mercury slink over to the drinks, Emerald still laughing at his failed attempt to get the pretty brown girl to dance, though as soon as he left Emerald attempted to dance with her and was also dismissed, causing Mercury to laugh even harder than Emerald had. Yang shook her head and sighed.

“Hey, Oscar,” Yang asked, and pointed to Amber. “Do you know her?”

Oscar looked at the woman, then shook his head. “That’s not her drudge,” the boy said simply, then returned to reading.

Yang squinted at Amber. “Are you sure? Everyone says that she’s Raven’s drudge.”

“Yes, I’m sure.” Oscar crinkled up his nose at Yang. “I’m 12, not stupid. She’s not a drudge, she’s just a human like you. I don’t know why no one else has noticed.”

Yang blinked down at Oscar. “How can you tell that she’s not a drudge?”

Oscar sighed and closed his book, leaning back against the couch and rolling his eyes up to the ceiling. “ _Because_ , she doesn’t _smell_ like a drudge. Neither do you.” He looked at Yang. “Can’t you smell the difference?”

Yang frowned and shook her head. “No… Must be a special drudge power.”

“Maybe,” Oscar shrugged. “Anyway, her drudge is weird. Normally vampires keep their drudges around them, so that they can’t be used against them, but she doesn't. He’s always going everywhere, doing errands for her.”

“Really?” Yang imagined Lady Blake sending her all over. It sounded fun. “Who is this man?”

“I don’t know, some man I guess.” Oscar shrugged again and opened his book back up, indicating he was done talking. “His name’s ‘Crow’ or something.”

Yang looked down at the boy, mouth agape. _Crow?_ Her head snapped back up to where Raven sat, still talking with the vampire princess Cinder. Yang balled her fists on her lap and stared at the woman.

Uncle Qrow had been gone for over a year before he came back the first time, then he came home regularly about every six months. This woman’s drudge travelled around the country, doing her bidding. The pieces fell into place.

 _'He hasn’t found my mom because he hasn’t been able to look_ ,’ Yang realized. ‘ _Instead, he’s been trapped in servitude by this woman_.’ Her body trembled in anger. ‘ _He probably heard of a woman named Raven, went to investigate, and got trapped by her. I can’t believe this woman, taking advantage of my grieving uncle_!’

Cinder stood and inclined her head, leaving Raven alone once more. Yang sprang up quickly, Oscar flinching beside her, and strode across the ballroom, fury in her steps. Raven looked up as she approached, eyebrows knitted together in confusion. Yang plopped herself down angrily in Cinder’s recently vacated spot.

“Once again, Oscar has given me some _choice information_ ,” Yang hissed through gritted teeth, crossing her arms.

Raven sat back, tapping her foot, otherwise silent. Beside her, Amber grinned devilishly, schadenfreude clear for her ‘mistress’.

“I have a wonderful family. My father, Taiyang Xiao Long. Little sister, Ruby Rose.” Yang watched as Raven’s face paled, the tapping of her foot ceasing. “And of course, you can’t forget my hard-working, amazing, _travelling_ Uncle Qrow.” She leaned in close to Raven. “Do _you_ know anyone named Qrow, Miss Raven?”

The vampiress slumped, defeated as she looked down at her lap. “I… know of one.”

“Well! Imagine that! I wonder if they’re the same one!” Yang smiled bitterly. “Does the Qrow _you_ know travel around the country, looking for his long-lost sister, coming home to his nieces who miss him _terribly_ only once every six months?”

Raven was silent for a long moment. “No,” she said finally, looking sadly at Yang. “The Qrow I know found his sister long ago.”

Now it was Yang’s turn for confusion. “I don’t… What do you mean?”

“What was your mother’s name?” Raven sighed.

“Summer Rose,” Yang answered without hesitation.

Raven’s face broke, eyes tearing as Amber stifled a guffaw beside her. “Are you sure?”

Yang frowned. “Well, the woman who gave _birth_ to me, Qrow’s sister, was named Raven…”

Raven nodded, eyes searching Yang’s.

Then it dawned on Yang.

She stood hastily, backing away. “No, you… You can’t…” But as she searched those red eyes, the same red as uncle Qrow’s, her hair the same messy texture as Yang’s, her nose the same shape, those cheekbones just like hers, she couldn’t deny the truth in those sad red eyes.

She backed up into a soft body, delicate tawny hands coming to rest on her shoulders. Yang turned around, looking into Lady Blake’s soft golden eyes.

“I told you not to talk to her,” the lady said simply.


	29. No Comfort

Yang stared in horror at Lady Blake.

“You knew. This whole time, you knew.” Her fists trembled at her sides as she stared into the vampiress’ golden eyes. She extended a hand, but Yang drew back, hurt. “I can’t trust you,” Yang seethed, “not when you kept _this_ from me.” She pointed an accusing finger at Raven.

Lady Blake sighed. “I wanted to tell you, but she said it was her right to tell you herself.” Yang could see the logic in that, but she was too angry to care. “I didn’t want you to get hurt, and I tried to warn you-”

“I don’t care. You _lied_ to me, straight to my face.” Yang shook her head, backing away toward the door. “Just… leave me alone.” She turned and walked away, heading for the stairs.

No one followed.

\---

Up in her room, she longed for someone to comfort her. Ruby’s soft singing, Summer’s gentle stroking of her hair, even Weiss telling her to act like a Lady and take the news with dignity. Yet she was alone.

Yang balled her fists up into the sheets, tears falling freely as her body shook with sobs, face planted deeply in her pillows.

All this time, she had been living a lie. Her mother had abandoned her, for ‘her own good’, and her uncle had been in on it. A bile began to burn in the back of Yang’s throat as she thought of Qrow. How could he just _lie_ to her? How could he lie to _Ruby?_

She wanted to scream, to punch, to kick, to cry, to do anything, but she didn’t have the energy. Instead, she lay on the bed, belly down, head to the side, staring into the darkness. The tears had stopped, and now the thoughts began.

‘ _What should I do? What should I say?_ ’ She drummed her fingers pensively. ‘ _Should I go back downstairs?_ ’ Yang sat up and looked down at her ballgown, wrinkled and stained from where her makeup had run from her tears. ‘ _Should I switch dresses?_ ’ She thought to the guest of honor. ‘ _Is it rude to switch dresses if Weiss wears the same dress all night?_ ’

Yang shook her head and laid back down on the bed, face up the ceiling, setting her arm across her closed eyes. She lay silently, considering her options.

‘ _Maybe I should just stay up here,_ ’ she felt tears forming in the corners of her eyes. ‘ _Then I won’t have to face Raven again._ ’

She sighed and brought her arm down, staring at the ceiling. ‘ _No, she’ll think me a coward. I should face her._ ’ She smiled grimly. ‘ _If she doesn’t think me coward already for running earlier._ ’

Yang’s mind wandered back to her encounter with Raven. Her anger with Qrow, stemming from her anger with Raven. Her heart sped up as she recalled the conversation, making herself angrier just by thinking about it.

‘ _Why should I talk to her?_ ’ Yang thought furiously. ‘ _How can she possibly explain herself? All the things she’s done, everything she’s put me through? Everything she’s put dad and Qrow and Ruby through?_ ’ Yang seethed angrily, crossing her arms.

She thought to Lady Blake, to Weiss, to the drudges. How many had known? How long had they known? Why didn’t anyone say anything? ‘ _I’ll kick Neptune when I see him,_ ’ Yang swore, certain that the stable boy had known and withheld the information. Yet as she thought, Lady Blake’s words came back to haunt her.

‘ _I wanted to tell you, but she said it was her right to tell you herself,_ ’ the vampiress had said. ‘ _I didn’t want you to get hurt, and I tried to warn you-_ ’

‘ _Warn me about what?_ ’ Yang mulled over Lady Blake’s words, regretting having cut the woman off. ‘ _The plot to kill the vampire queen? My uncle being her drudge? What?_ ’ Yang’s eyebrows came together as she considered the warning, but she simply didn’t have enough information about her own mother to know for sure. Sighing, Yang turned to her side.

‘ _I guess there’s only one way to know for certain,_ ’ Yang steeled her nerves, looking out the window to the moon. ‘ _I’ll have to face them._ ’

\---

Using the servant’s bell built into the living room wall, Yang was able to call for Velvet, who took one look at Yang before leaving to fetch Coco. Yang was switched into a new dress and her makeup refreshed, feeling much better with a change of clothes and the evidence of her crying removed. She confidently made her way back downstairs.

“Breakfast will be served shortly, Miss Xiao Long.” Velvet assured her. “You can go ahead on in and sit down, everyone else will be there momentarily.” Yang nodded and thanked the maid, heading through the reception room to the dining room.

It was eerily quiet when it was empty, Yang noted as she took her seat beside Weiss’ usual chair. She looked about, the ghostly tablecloth a pristine whiteish grey, the silverware an even higher quality than usual. Yang picked up a wineglass experimentally. Not the ones that were on the table during meals normally. She set the glass back down, shaking her head as she considered that _normally_ there weren’t wineglasses on the table for breakfast, only when vampires wanted to drink blood with their pancakes.

Yang looked hard at her nicer-than-usual place setting, wondering who Lady Blake was trying to impress. Raven? Yang snorted. Doubtful. Ozpin? Yang tilted her head. Lady Blake and Ozpin seemed to be good friends, so it would hardly be necessary for her to go through the trouble.

That left Cinder, the ‘daughter’ of the vampire queen. Yang looked to where Cinder had sat during dinner, trying to remember the woman. She had certainly been self-assured and confident, speaking with dignity and moving with grace, but she had never so much as looked in Yang’s direction. Yang sighed and pinched the bridge of her nose. _Focus_. Was there anything about Cinder, or was Lady Blake just trying to impress her because she was the vampire princess?

Yang didn’t have time to consider, as the door from the reception room opened. Lady Blake led the party into the dining room, eyeing Yang carefully, though Yang looked away quickly. After Lady Blake came Weiss, arm looped through Cinder’s as the vampiresses chatted, Emerald and Mercury slinking jealously behind. Behind them came Ozpin and Glynda, tailed by a tired-looking Oscar clutching the same book from earlier, and the group was brought up by a weary Raven and Amber.

Yang stared hard at Raven, who looked back with an unreadable expression. Weiss sat down next to Yang with a plop, turning. “Where _were_ you? I haven’t seen you since dinner!”

Yang smiled weakly. “I received some… _unfortunate_ news.” Raven crinkled her nose and looked away, whispering to Amber.

Weiss tilted her head. “Well, I hope everything’s okay now.”

“I’ll be fine,” Yang said, waving her hand. Considering her reaction, Weiss must not have known about Yang’s matriarchal issues.

“I sure hope so,” A silky voice said from across the table. Yang looked up into amber eyes. “It would be a shame if something _bad_ happened, wouldn’t it?” Cinder purred.

Yang’s gut twisted. “Yeah, it would.” She wasn’t sure if that was supposed to be a threat or a vampire showing concern, but considering how both Lady Blake and Raven tensed at Cinder’s words, she guessed it might be the former. “But like I said, I’ll be fine.” She stood her ground even as Cinder’s mouth twisted into a dark smile.

“I’ll be sure to tell my mother,” Cinder replied.


	30. Questions

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I started my summer job's training last week and the past week has been HELL. 15 hour days and awful Florida sun. The rest of the summer shouldn't be as bad, but I'll still be travelling around the country, so my updates are gonna be spotty. Sorry, but I need money and getting paid to do what I do isn't a bad gig.

After breakfast, the vampires retired to their guest rooms, while Yang paced in her living room. Despite all the questions she had asked, she found more questions now than answers. Who was the vampire queen? Why did Cinder care about telling her about Yang? What was Lady Blake trying to warn about concerning Raven?

Yang sat on the couch and leaned forward, head in her hands, running her fingers back through her hair. Cinder was leaving the following night, while Ozpin and Glynda were staying for a few more nights to catch up with Lady Blake.

No word on when Raven was leaving.

Yang sighed and sat back, looking up. There were still questions she had for Ozpin, to be sure, but with no idea when Raven was leaving…

She nodded and stood with determination, unbound golden hair flowing freely down her back as she strode to the door.

She would have to face Raven tonight.

\---

As Yang walked down the hall, she realized what a stupid idea it had been. She knew where Weiss and her own bedrooms were located, but aside from those, the rest of the bedrooms were a mystery. She wasn’t even positive that the vampires were staying on the second floor, either- there was a chance that they might be up on the third floor, Lady Blake’s floor.

Yang cursed herself as she wandered past Weiss’ room, looking about. She supposed she could always knock on the doors, but she really didn’t want to see Cinder. She looked over her shoulder, back to Weiss’ room, and made her decision. Klein answered on her second knock. 

“Miss Xiao Long. It’s rather early, what do you require of Lady Schnee at this hour?” the butler eyed her suspiciously.

“Oh, well…” Yang gathered her thoughts. “Maybe you can help me instead. Do you know which rooms the guests are staying in?”

“Of course,” Klein nodded. “Looking for Ozpin, I’d guess?”

Yang shook her head, shifting her feet. “Raven, actually.”

“Raven?” Klein’s eyebrows shot up, and Yang nodded. The butler leaned past the doorway, pointing down the dark hallway. “The Lady is in the farthest door on the right, her drudge in the closer of the two.”

“Second door down, got it.” Yang turned away, then looked back. “Thank you, Klein.”

“You’re welcome, Miss Xiao Long.” He replied. “And good luck.”

Yang watched, confused, as the butler closed the door. ‘ _Good luck?_ ’ she shook her head and walked down the hallway, passing Amber’s door to stand before Raven’s. A knot formed in her stomach, and her balled fist hovered above the wood of the door.

Muffled voices sounded from the other side of the door. Yang paused, then leaned forward, pressing her ear to the door to hear better.

“She _HAS_ to know! You heard what she said at breakfast!” The voice was husky and low. Like Raven’s.

“Yes, I heard her. But that could mean anything!” Lighter, less raspy. Lady Blake? “Don’t do anything brash.”

“ _You’re_ the one who started all this! You should have left them alone!”

“I didn’t bring them here, the castle did! The witch said herself that Gambol led her straight to me!”

“So what, you’re going to blame _them_ for all this? Everything was fine until she came here, you should have let her go back with the witch!”

“The witch is young, she has little knowledge of her own power, there’s no way she could protect her. You say your drudge is protecting her, but from what she tells me, he’s only there twice a year. How can he keep her safe if he’s not even there to guard her from them?”

“He’s throwing them off the scent! Besides, when I explained everything, _he’s_ the one who suggested it! It’s worked for nineteen years, Belladonna!”

“If she was so safe then why did the castle bring her here for protection?”

“It’s old! The magic is twisting, Gambol and Shroud aren’t even fully under your control anymore, you said so yourself! How do you know this wasn’t a fluke?”

“Seeing Cinder here tonight was how I knew. I had my doubts, but now I know. Yang must _never_ leave my castle again.”

Yang’s heartbeat pounded in her ears. Protection? Ruby following Gambol? She could never leave again? It was too much. She grabbed the door handle and threw it back, startling the bickering vampiresses. Yang stared them down, fury in her lilac eyes.

“Tell me what’s going on. _Now._ ” She demanded.

The pair exchanged a worried glance, then looked back to Yang.

“Listen, Yang, you’re not safe here. You need to leave.” Raven extended her hand. “Come with me.”

“Don’t, Yang.” Lady Blake shook her head. “You _are_ safe here, but I can’t guarantee your safety if you leave.” Her golden eyes pleaded with Yang. “Please, stay.”

Yang sighed and pinched the bridge of her nose. “I _need_ to know what’s going on. You can’t expect me to make an uninformed decision, can you?” She looked expectantly between the two women.

Lady Blake sighed and sat down on the couch, gesturing for Raven to start. Raven looked hard into Yang’s eyes, apprehensive.

“I didn’t have a choice, Yang,” She started. “I had to leave you, leave you _both_ , or I might have killed you in a moment of weakness.” She sat down across from Lady Blake. “You weren’t _abandoned_ , you were… _Hidden_.”

Yang rolled her eyes. “I don’t care. Tell me what’s going on _now_. The past is the past.”

Raven looked to Lady Blake, then back to Yang. “The vampire that turned Belladonna… Lady Blake… He was the one who turned me, too.”

“So?” Yang shrugged. “What does that have to do with me?”

“He wanted what I couldn’t give him,” Lady Blake whispered. Yang turned to her, questioningly.

“What? True love?” She joked, but Lady Blake’s face was deadly serious as she shook her head.

“No,” Her golden eyes closed as she sighed. “A child."


	31. Daywalker

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Amber and Salem do not have last names in canon, so I had to come up with my own for them based on their roles in the story. Please hold your groans.

Yang narrowed her eyes in confusion. “What do you mean, a child?” She looked back to Raven, to her mother. Thinking of Taiyang. “You don’t mean… I can’t be…”

Raven laughed bitterly, shaking her head. “No, Yang, you’re Taiyang’s. Vampires can’t reproduce, which is why Belladonna couldn’t give him the child he wanted.” She ran a hand through her thick mess of black hair, just as Yang had done with her own golden locks earlier. “Since he couldn’t make his own child, he decided to find a pregnant woman to turn, and keep that child as his own, as vampires occasionally do.” Raven looked up to Yang, red eyes pained. “He found me, while I was pregnant with you.”

Yang’s head spun. “Wait… If a human is turned into a vampire while pregnant…” she took a steadying breath, looking to Lady Blake. “What happens to the baby?”

“In the past, there was no guarantee what would happen,” Lady Blake replied. “It might be human child, or it might be a vampire. There’s also the possibility of ending up with a stillborn.” She stared deep into Yang’s eyes. “It was Ozpin who found out what those humans born of vampire mothers are, and how they come to be.”

“Then… I’m human?” Yang asked hopefully.

Lady Blake and Raven exchanged a look. “I thought you were, and I knew that Adam wanted a vampire child, so that’s why I hid you away,” Raven explained. “But now, after what Ozpin’s research has revealed, after what Amber’s said…”

A chill ran down Yang’s spine. “What… _Am_ I?”

“A better slayer than I could ever be,” a voice called from the doorway. Yang spun around in surprise, watching as Amber closed the door behind her. “You have a natural talent for my line of work. You’re immune to the bite, so you can’t even become a drudge, and you have the powers of a vampire without the weaknesses.” Amber crossed her arms. “I’ll admit, I’m a little jealous.”

Yang swayed. “But… I’m human, right?”

“Not quite, daywalker.” Amber laughed. “Ozpin calls your kind ‘dhampir’, but I’ve heard ‘gloglave’ and ‘vampirdzii’ as well. Depends on who you ask.”

“So what does that mean? What _am_ I?” Yang shook her head. “What does this all _mean_?”

“It _means_ you’ve got to help us take down the queen,” Amber said, leaning toward Yang. “I was trained for this, but _you_ were _born_ for it.”

Yang looked helplessly between Lady Blake and Raven, neither of which met her eyes. “So what, I’m just a tool to get to your goal?” Yang asked, stomach twisting as Raven turned to her.

“No, of course not,” Raven said reassuringly. “Adam was the one who made me, thus making you. I didn’t even know your potential when I hid you away from him.” She reached out to hold Yang’s hand, but Yang jerked her hand away. “I never wanted any of this for you, Yang,” she whispered. “I wanted to be your mother. I wanted to give you and Taiyang more. I wanted to watch you grow.” She sighed. “Had I stayed, Adam would have known where you were, and alerted the queen or killed you himself. That’s why… I had to leave you.”

Yang stared at her mother, heart wrenching with guilt. “Qrow always… Just said you weren’t ready to be a mother,” she said.

“Oh, truly. I was young and scared, and I had no idea how to tell your father.” Raven laughed briefly, then sobered. “I suppose that’s why I was such easy prey for Adam.”

“Yeah, boo hoo, your life is awful,” Amber yawned. “Now that she knows the truth can we get on with this? I need to start training her if she has any chance of helping me take out the queen.”

Yang turned on the dark woman. “What is your _problem_?”

“I’m a vampire slayer in a house full of vampires and their drudges that your _wonderful mother_ made me promise not to kill,” Amber sneered. “What do you think my problem is?”

“Then why did you bother coming?” Yang narrowed her eyes.

“She and I are partners,” Raven explained, standing to put a hand on Yang’s shoulder. “Amber Van Helsing is from a line of vampire hunters. I need her help, and she needs to get familiar with Cinder before she can get to the queen.”

Yang stared incredulously at her mother. “You teamed up with a _vampire slayer_? Why? How do you know she won’t just kill you?”

“Because, I still need her to get to the queen, even having met Cinder,” Amber explained, drawing Yang’s attention, “and because all the vampires will go back to being human once she’s dead, which means I can go do something else with my life.” Amber shrugged. “Maybe I’ll settle down in the country when this is all over. Maybe I’ll start hunting werewolves instead. Haven’t decided yet.”

“How do you even plan _to_ kill the queen?” Yang asked.

Amber sighed and reached beneath her shirt, drawing out a crucifix necklace. Raven and Lady Blake shied away from its sight, and Amber respectfully hid it from their view with her free hand. “This was my father’s necklace,” she explained. “He was the one who trained me, who taught me everything I know about vampires. And it was _his_ dream to kill the vampire queen.” She tucked the necklace away, putting Raven and Lady Blake at ease. “He had an entire plan, but without knowing the key vampires of the queen’s inner circle, he was never able to carry it out. He knew _about_ Cinder, but he had always planned on just slaying her if he ever met her, to make the path to the queen easier.” Amber laughed. “I suppose I owe your mother, as she sought me out to tell me of her own plan, without even knowing of my father’s. We put our two plans together, and together we made something that might actually work, and not be a suicide mission for a vampire slayer.”

“I won’t lie, it’s not an easy task,” Raven said as she came from behind Yang to stand beside her partner. “But we’re trying to take out an entire race without killing the good ones, so that’s to be expected.” She crossed her arms as she looked to Yang. “We’ll tell you everything, but only _after_ you say you’ll do this with us.”

Yang stared at the pair, then looked to Lady Blake. The castle’s mistress stared back at her, shaking her head in a very minute motion, almost undetectable.

“Are _you_ part of all this?” Yang asked.

“No,” Lady Blake said flatly. “It is foolishness. I will not stand in their way, but neither will I lift a hand to help, so that when they inevitably fail, my drudges will be safe.”

“We _won’t_ fail,” Raven hissed. “And if you helped us, things would be much easier.”

“How can you succeed with only one vampire?” Lady Blake shot back.

“We have two now!” Raven returned. “I guess Neo’s not as much of a coward as you.”

Lady Blake considered this. “Neopolitan… Is helping your cause?”

“Of course! Why wouldn’t she, after everything the queen’s taken from her?” Raven replied. “She’s been itching for her chance at the tyrant ever since the day her vocal cords were ripped out and she was forced to watch Torchwick die as he sat through a sunrise.”

Lady Blake sobered with this new information. “I... I must return to my chambers for the day,” she said, standing suddenly. “Sleep well, all of you.” She left, face distracted.

“Well, looks like we may have gotten Lady Blake,” Amber said, turning to Yang. “So? What do you say? Do you want to help us kill the queen?”


	32. Training

Yang looked back between Amber and Raven, thoughts reeling. She was a ‘Daywalker’? Her mother had already been a vampire when she was born? She left her with her dad to keep them safe from Adam and the queen? It was a lot of information to take in. Yang gulped.

“If this works… If the queen is slain, and you become human…” She looked into her mother’s red gaze. “What happens then?”

Raven twitched and looked away quickly. “I… I know it’s been so long, and I left on a sour note, but…” her hands trembled. “I always thought about going back. To you. To Taiyang.” She looked back to Yang. “If you would have me.”

Yang sat down on the couch warily. “What would my part in all this be?”

“I’m not giving you specifics unless I know for sure you’re on our side,” Amber reasoned, “but I don’t know for sure if I can kill the queen. She might be too powerful for a human.” She nodded to Yang. “That’s where you would come in, daywalker.”

Yang nodded and looked down at her hands, weighing her options. Her father rarely spoke of Raven, but when he did, his voice was thick with nostalgia and wistfulness. To her credit, Raven seemed to want to do better for them, to be a _real_ family. She looked up to Raven. “What about Ruby?”

“Ruby?” Raven blinked. “The witch?”

Yang nodded. “She’s not your daughter, but she _is_ my sister. Where does she fit in with your life once this is over?”

Raven contemplated the question for moment, then looked back to Yang. “Wherever she desires, I suppose. I always liked Summer, so I’d imagine that I’d feel the same toward her daughter. It would be Ruby’s choice to accept me or not.”

Yang nodded, accepting the answer. “Alright. I’ll help you.” She cut Raven off before the vampiress could speak. “But I’m not doing this for you. I’m doing this for Lady Blake.” She met Raven’s gaze. “And when this is all over, for my dad. But if he doesn’t want you there…”

Raven nodded gravely. “I understand. Thank you, Yang.”

Yang returned her nod curtly, bitterness still twisting her stomach, then turned back to Amber. “So, when do we start?”

Amber’s full lips curled into a deadly smile.

“Now, while the vampires sleep.”

\---

Amber told Yang to change into comfortable clothes, so she went back to her room and found riding gear, meant for riding astride rather than side-saddle. The pants were slightly tighter than the ones she was used to, and the shirt crisper and whiter, but as she slid on the boots Ruby had given her, she felt a wave of comfort wash over her. She made a mental note to sneak out during the day to ride when she had the opportunity.

She meandered down the stairs and out the looming front door, making her way out to the area where Nikos guards had marked the earth with horse hooves only days ago. She shuddered at the memory as she met with Amber, also wearing pants and riding boots, along with a belt lined with wooden stakes and silver knives.

“You went for riding gear too, huh?” Yang asked nervously as she approached.

“Of course. Much easier to move about in than a dress,” Amber replied, spinning a knife through deft fingers. “So, Miss Xiao Long, are you ready to learn how to slay a vampire queen?”

Yang shifted her feet. “I think so.”

“You _think_ so?” Amber barked out a laugh. “Come now, daywalker. Have more spirit.”

Yang drew her shoulders back and stood to her full height, the same height as Amber, and looked the slayer in the eye. “Yes.”

“Good.” Amber picked up a wooden practice sword and handed it to Yang, hilt-first. “Let’s see what you’re made of.”

Yang cautiously took the hilt, noting Amber’s lack of weapon. “Where’s yours?” Yang asked.

“I probably won’t need one,” Amber yawned, beckoning Yang to hit her. Heart pounding, Yang lifted her sword, then thrust it down in a great arc- only for Amber to spin away, hitting her arms to push to sword away with her left hand as she brushed her right hand up to Yang’s neck, thumb mimicking a knife. “See?” she grinned.

“Well, I’ve never used a sword before,” Yang protested, cheeks growing hot.

“How _do_ you fight, then?” Amber implored mockingly. “Do you wave your hair at people, hoping they’ll get caught in it?”

“No, I do this.” Fury rolled through Yang as she brought her right arm around, fist landing cleanly on Amber’s jaw. The slayer stood back, surprised, hand on her dazed chin as she popped the socket.

Then she grinned.

“That’s what I’m talking about!”

\---

Amber and Yang stayed up until almost noon, the slayer teaching the daywalker her tips and tricks to a fistfight. “You may be rubbish with a sword, but you sure can pack a punch,” she had said approvingly as they walked back to the castle.

“So can you,” Yang grinned back.

The two went back to their rooms, and Yang knew she would sleep well.

\---

Velvet woke her just before dinner, eyeing her messy hair and dusty riding gear. “I should have woken you sooner,” the maid lamented as she filled a basin with warm water. “You need a real bath.”

“That bad, huh?” Yang chuckled as the maid poured a decent amount of perfume into the basin before wringing her handtowel out to scrub Yang with.

After the short ‘bath’, Velvet dressed Yang in yet another gown, while Yang stared longingly at the riding clothes she had worn during training. “Are you sure I can’t just wear pants?” she joked.

“Ladies wear dresses, not pants,” Velvet sternly reminded her. Yang sighed and resigned herself to another night of wearing a dress.

She left her room just as Weiss was leaving hers, and the pale vampiress’ face lit up at the sight of Yang. “Oh, Yang! Good evening! Klein said you stopped by my room last night, but I’m afraid yesterday’s activities had me exhausted.”

“Oh, I just wanted to know…” Yang sucked in a breath, measuring her words as she descended the curved stairwell beside Weiss. “Where Raven was, so I could ask her about something.”

Weiss tilted her head. “Raven? What did you want with _her_?”

“Oh, I just had a question about…” Yang’s heart pounded as she thought up a lie, not wanting to let the secret of who her mother was while Cinder was still there. “How she knew Lady Blake, and how she became a vampire…”

Weiss made a face. “Oh, _that_ must have been a lovely conversation.” She looked away. “Well, it’s not like you knew her history, or the hardships that she and Lady Blake shared, so I’m sure she won’t hold it against you.”

Yang led her breath out. “Yeah,” she said, relieved that Weiss had bought the lie. “She seemed patient enough with me last night.”

Weiss nodded. “So... did she tell you? About her? About Lady Blake?”

“Yes. Lady Blake already told me what happened with her, so I already knew about Adam, but…” Yang shook her head. “I feel terrible. I mean, what if he does this to someone else? Does the queen even care?”

“Of course not,” Weiss replied. “The queen likes him far too much, and she wants him and Cinder to marry. Didn’t she tell you?”

Yang looked to Weiss numbly. “No, I haven’t… really talked to Cinder.”

“Not Cinder,” Weiss corrected. “To Raven. She’s helping Cinder with all the wedding details, and Cinder even wants her to be the maid of honor.” Weiss shook her head. “I suppose she’s forgiven Adam for everything, if she’s willing to go to his wedding and stand before the queen like that.”

Parts of a puzzle she hadn’t even realized were missing clicked together in Yang’s mind.

“Yeah, I guess she has forgiven Adam and the queen,” Yang lied as she opened the door to the dining room.


	33. Dhampir

Dinner was tense, now that Yang was acutely aware of Cinder’s role in Raven’s plans. Lady Blake seemed distracted, staring at her food rather than talking to her guests, while Raven and Cinder chatted casually about the upcoming wedding. There was a point during dinner when Cinder’s amber gaze fell on Yang, sending a chill down her spine. She distracted herself with conversation with Ozpin.

“So Ozpin, what are you researching now?” Yang inquired, looking away from Cinder’s mouth, fangs barely visible beneath her sly smile.

“Vampire condition,” Ozpin said uselessly, earning a snort from Glynda.

“We’re looking into why vampires are affected by things such as sunlight and garlic, while drudges such as myself are unaffected,” Glynda clarified. “We’re hoping that if we can get to the bottom of it, we can find a way to make vampires less vulnerable.”

Yang blinked. “How can you even research that?”

“I’ll admit, it can be a painful process… For both of us, as drudges are linked to the vampire who made them,” Ozpin chimed in, “but we must continue this research, for the good of vampire kind.”

Yang nodded, then looked to Oscar, reading quietly beside his ‘mother’. Her eyebrows came together as she watched the boy, thinking back to Ozpin’s words. ‘ _It can be a painful process for both of us… not for all three of us._ ’ Ozpin followed her gaze, then sucked in a breath and stole a glance to Cinder. The vampire princess was preoccupied with her drudges, and had not heard the exchange. Yang gave Ozpin a questioning look.

Ozpin coughed. “I suppose I can tell you more about my research after dinner, once Cinder has been seen off,” the vampire said quietly, worry lacing his voice.

Yang looked between Oscar and Ozpin, then nodded. “Alright, let’s meet in the library.”

Oscar’s head popped up. “There’s a library?”

Ozpin nodded to his ‘son’ as Glynda placed a reassuring hand on his shoulder.

“Yes, Oscar. Yang’s going to show us after we see Cinder off.”

\---

Cinder left with minimal fanfare, her and her drudges luggage packed and ready to go as soon as dinner was over. Yang watched on as Raven and Cinder shared a hollow embrace, and she couldn’t help but wonder if the princess knew of Raven’s plans. Cinder’s eyes flowed over the vampires and drudges gathered as she waved serenely, pausing as her gaze met Yang’s. A shiver went through Yang’s spine as Cinder gave Yang a fanged smile, Emerald and Mercury smirking on at each side. As her carriage slowly made its way from the castle, relief washed over Yang.

Still, she couldn’t help but wonder what Cinder was up to.

“Are you going to show me the library now?” Oscar popped over to Yang’s side, bringing her back to the present.

Yang smiled at the boy and extended her hand. “Of course! A promise is a promise, right?”

Oscar smiled happily and grabbed Yang’s hand, Ozpin and Glynda close behind. Yang led them back into the castle and down the hall to the library, Oscar practically jumping with excitement.

“Here we are,” Yang smiled as she opened the grand door. “Castle Belladonna’s library!”

Oscar freed his hand from Yang’s and sprinted into the room excitedly, looking about. “Father, look at all these books! It’s almost as big as your library!”

Ozpin smiled a tight smile, eyeing Yang cautiously as he walked in after Oscar. “Indeed, there are quite a few. I do believe she even has a few of mine.”

Oscar’s hazel eyes shone brightly at the news, and he began to wander excitedly, searching for records of Ozpin’s research. Glynda watched him carefully as she sat down on a comfortable couch, Yang taking the seat opposite while Ozpin sat beside her.

“So,” Yang started, following Glynda’s gaze. “He’s not your drudge?”

Ozpin leaned forward with a sigh, interlacing his fingers as his elbows rested on his knees. “I tried to make him my drudge,” Ozpin said slowly, green eyes following the boy.

“What do you mean, you ‘tried’?” Yang asked, tilting her head. “You could make Glynda a drudge, right?”

“Yes, but the difference is… I’m human.” Glynda sighed and removed her glasses, cleaning them on the hem of her wide sleeves.

Yang looked at Oscar, then back to Ozpin. “Dhampir,” she breathed as the realization washed over her.

Ozpin looked surprised that Yang knew, but the vampire nodded. “Yes, he is.” He watched as Oscar found a book and pulled it from a high shelf, tensing slightly as he fought the urge to help the boy. “I never realized until I tried to make him my drudge, but looking back, there were hints.”

“Like what?” Yang questioned, wondering if he may have caught on to her.

Glynda replaced her now clean glasses. “He has the strength of vampire, the speed, and he can sense things that normal humans cannot,” she explained. “We had always thought that he was just a young boy, full of energy, perhaps more perceptive than most, but…” she shook her head.

“He is the current focus of my research,” Ozpin admitted. “He is not a vampire, nor is he a human, and he has incredible power without any of the weaknesses that I possess. This makes him an excellent study, to see why dhampir are immune to certain things while vampires would suffer…” Ozpin sighed heavily. “Unfortunately, dhampir are rumored to be excellent vampire slayers, and as such, the queen refuses to see their worth, only their potential threat.”

“You have to understand, we never knew he was a dhampir, and neither did Lady Blake.” Glynda said. “We took him in as a son and grew to love him, thus why Oz tried to make him a drudge.” She shook her head, blonde locks swaying softly. “Even knowing what he is, knowing that he could grow to kill Oz and thus myself… We still love him as our own son. We’re doing our best to raise him away from slaying, but this must remain a secret, lest the queen find out.” She watched Oscar happily reading his new book. “We don’t want to lose him, Miss Xiao Long… Please, keep this between us.”

Yang leaned back on the couch, looking at Oscar. Wondering if the boy even knew what he was. “Don’t worry, I won’t tell,” she whispered, releasing the tension in the room. She looked back to the pair. “But if I may ask a favor… May I see your research on dhampir?”

Ozpin was once again surprised by Yang. “You’re not going to do anything to him.” A statement, not a question.

Yang shook her head. “No, I just have… and interest in new things, and there’s not much information here on dhampir.”

Ozpin nodded, seemlingly satisfied with the answer, but Glynda’s eyes narrowed suspiciously. 

“You’re a dhampir.”

Ozpin and Yang looked over at Glynda’s statement.

“Oscar really likes you, and he normally doesn’t latch on to anyone like that,” she explained. “He also said that you… _smelled_ like him.”

Yang stole a glance at Oscar. “We all have skin in this game, Ozpin.” She looked back to the vampire. “I won’t tell a soul about Oscar, I promise.”

Ozpin nodded gratefully. “I’ll gather up my notes on dhampir for you.”


	34. Smells

As Ozpin left the library to gather up his research notes, Oscar brought a stack of books over to where Yang and Glynda sat, setting them gently on the table between before sitting down next to Yang.

“Is it okay if I borrow these?” the boy asked excitedly. The Dhampir. The Daywalker.

Yang smiled. “I’m sure Lady Blake won’t mind,” she reassured him, earning a smile.

Oscar reached to his stack and rifled through it, finding a specific book. He turned and handed it to Yang. “I picked this one up for you,” he admitted shyly.

Yang looked down at book as she took it from Oscar. ‘ _The Daywalkers_ ’ stared back up at her. Yang’s breath caught and she jerked her head back up to look at Oscar. “You.. knew? About me?”

Oscar smiled and nodded. “You’re just like me,” he said easily.

From across the table, Glynda stiffened, leaning forward to peer at the title in Yang’s hands. She looked between the two dhampir and sighed. “You knew all along what you were, didn’t you, Oscar?”

Oscar pondered, then shook his head. “No, not until you and father knew,” he clarified. “I thought I was different, but now I know.” He turned to Yang, face bright. “And I know I’m not alone! I have a friend like me now!”

Yang’s heart flipped at his words, and she ruffled his hair like she would with Ruby’s. “Yeah, but I didn’t know like you did,” she explained. “Maybe you can teach me how you can smell humans and drudges and vampires?”

“Of course!” Oscar looked incredibly pleased to help someone else out. “I learned how to do it when we were visiting the queen…”

\---

By the midnight meal, Ozpin had returned with his notes, only to scribble furiously as he took more notes on Oscar’s teachings. Yang tried her best, but no matter how much she sniffed, she could not discern the metallic bloody scent of vampires from the sickly sweet coated death of drudges, Nor could she smell her own kind.

“I’m sorry Oscar, you just… Smell like a boy.” Yang sighed.

“I should kind of smell like a graveyard,” Oscar explained, “and maybe like a campfire.”

“I’m sure you do,” Yang laughed. “But I just can’t smell it. Maybe I need more practice.”

Oscar nodded. “Why don’t you try smelling out a human? They kind of smell like a garden, like petrichor, like they’re really… _alive_ , I guess. ”

Yang shrugged. “I don’t know, Klein might think it’s weird if I try to smell him…”

Oscar paused, then nodded. “Right, Klein! I think he might be coming this way…” Oscar looked to the door expectantly, Yang’s gaze following. After a long pause, a loud knock came from the door, and Klein opened the door.

“If you’ll forgive my interruption, the midnight meal has been prepared.” Klein said.

Oscar stood quickly and led Yang to the door. “Come on Yang, I’m _starving_!” he exclaimed as be bounded over to the butler, earning a smile from the elderly man. Then Oscar paused and looked up at Klein. “You’re a drudge now? But you weren’t a drudge yesterday!”

Surprise washed over Klein’s elderly face, but he nodded. “Yes, Weiss made me her drudge last night,” he clarified.

Oscar looked to Yang and shrugged.

“Congratulations!” Yang said, pushing Oscar out of the door frame and into the hallway. “Too bad you couldn’t have become a drudge when you were younger, huh?”

“Oh, it was worth the wait,” Klein rumbled as Ozpin and Glynda followed behind Yang and Oscar. “It didn’t feel right to become Lady Blake’s drudge while serving Lady Schnee, but this is fine. Besides, the lady is growing well accustomed to vampire life, and every vampire should have at least one drudge.” His eyes twinkled.

\---

At the midnight meal, Oscar sat beside Yang, speaking in hushed tones about all the abilities that he had learned of.

“Did you know we can run super fast?” He asked. “And also that we’re really strong?”

Yang nodded. “Yes, I knew that much. How did you learn to start and to control it?”

“I don’t know, I just like running,” Oscar whispered back. “I thought I was just fast, but we’re special.” He shoved another forkful of food in his mouth and chewed quickly, thinking. “And! We can heal ourselves, so if you get hurt, you can feel better quickly!”

Yang thought back to her childhood, and her scraped knees and bloody noses from rough housing and helping with the horses. “I don’t know Oscar, I don’t think I’ve ever been able to heal.” She shrugged.

“No, you _can_ heal quickly, like me!” Oscar exclaimed in a hushed tone. “I once sprained my wrist, but it was only sprained for a minute before it fixed itself!” He grinned at Yang.

“That’s good to hear.” Yang paused. “I wonder why you can heal and smell, but I can’t? Are you sure I’m a dhampir?”

Oscar bobbed his head. “Yeah, you definitely are, but you’re smell is kind of weak… Maybe you’re not drinking enough blood?”

Yang’s stomach dropped as she watched the boy chew thoughtfully. “What do you mean… Not drinking enough blood?” She laughed a quiet, nervous laugh. “We’re not vampires, why would we have to drink blood?”

Oscar set his fork down on his plate, hazel eyes meeting Yang’s. “We’re not vampires, but we come _from_ vampires, and that’s where we get our powers,” the boy explained. “In order to use them, we have to drink blood, just like a vampire.” He tilted his head. “You’ve never drank blood before?”

Yang shook her head. “No. I mean, my own, but…” a chill ran down her spine as she imagined drinking blood to activate her powers. “I don’t… Think I could.”

“Well, you don’t have to,” Oscar shrugged. “You just won’t be able to do all things I can do.”

Yang stared down at the boy, eyebrows knitted together. “Does that mean… that you…” she gulped as Oscar looked back up at her.

“Yeah, of course.” Oscar said nonchalantly. “Mother always gives blood to father and I.”


	35. Drinking Blood

Yang stood and backed away from the table, face pale. “I’m sorry, I’ve lost my appetite,” she mumbled, her blonde hair coming forward to hide the shock on her face. Raven, Weiss, and Lady Blake gave her concerned looks, while Oscar merely returned to his own plate with a shrug as Yang left the room, thoughts swirling.

There was no way she could drink human blood.

The thought of drinking another human’s blood- no, not another human’s, she’s a daywalker- the thought of drinking human blood in general… It made Yang want to vomit. She set her arm out, bracing her forearm on the wall of the hall of portraits as her head spun, stomach twisting with disgust. The door leading from the dining room to the reception creaked open, and after a moment Raven appeared at the end of the hallway.

“Yang?” she called out, making her way to her daughter. “What’s wrong? What did Oz’s boy say to you?”

“Oscar… He’s…” Yang shook her head and swallowed bile, remembering her promise to Ozpin. “If a dhampir wants to use their powers, they have to drink.”

Raven tilted her head. “Drink?”

“Drink.” Yang nodded, forcing down a sob. “Like vampires.”

Realization dawned on Raven as she processed Yang’s words, her hand coming up to her mouth. “Oh… Oh, Yang… I never knew… I swear, if I had known, I never would have asked-”

“Good,” Yang sighed. “Because I can’t do it.”

“You… Can’t do it? Any of it?” Raven looked taken aback. “Even if… If doesn’t involve your daywalker powers?”

Yang gave her mother a pained look. “Listen, I’m sorry I can’t help, but the whole reason you wanted me was because I’m a dhampir, right?” Her gut twisted at the thought of what she would have to do to be a real dhampir, to really be useful. “I’m not Amber, and I’m not you. I’m just a girl who raises horses, I don’t know how to kill vampires.”

“Amber said she’s been teaching you!” Raven pointed out. “Besides, even if you don’t use your skills, having another person around is better than just the two of us.”

“What do you mean two?” Yang narrowed her eyes. “I thought you got that other vampire.”

Raven looked away hastily. “Well, Neo _is_ on our side, she’s just… _difficult_.”

Yang laughed and shook her head. “It’s just you two, isn’t it? It has been this whole time.” Raven’s face darkened. “I should have known. I never knew you growing up, but of course you’re just using me, using Lady Blake to get what you want-”

Raven pulled her hand back and slapped Yang across the face, hard.

“Do _not_ talk to me that way,” Raven’s eyed burned crimson with cold fury. “I told you why I was doing this, and that’s the truth. Everything I’ve done has been for you, for your father, and for Qrow.” She returned her hand to her side, balled into a fist. “I will do what needs to be done to rid this world of this curse. If you refuse to help me, fine. Be a coward. Amber and I will do this alone.” Raven turned back to the dining room and began to take measured steps. “I drank blood because I had to. Perhaps you’re not my daughter after all.”

\---

Yang slowly made her way back to her room, mulling over Raven’s words as well as Oscar’s. All the amazing things that daywalkers could do- the healing, the fast movement, the detection by scent- despite her mother’s words, she couldn’t justify drinking human blood to gain those abilities.

Her heart ached for Ruby, wishing her sister was there so she could at least have someone she trusted to talk to about the whole situation. Staring up at the canopy of her bed, she tried to remember the night when Ruby had been beside her, when everything had seemed like it was going to be okay. Tears came, and they flowed gently, no sound escaping Yang’s lips. She was too numb.

God, she really needed her sister.

A knock on her bedroom door startled her heart, and she nearly jumped out of bed. She knew it wasn’t Ruby, but her heart was still racing.

“Who is it?” She called out tentatively.

“Lady Blake,” the vampiress’ voice called from the other side of the door.

Yang sighed in disappointment, chastising herself for getting her hopes up when she knew Ruby was safe at home. “Come in,” she called.

Lady Blake entered tentatively, a concerned expression on her face. “Hello, Yang…” She started, walking over to the side of the bed where Yang sat. “I was a bit worried, since you left the midnight meal so quickly… Raven said she would check on you, but she came back right away, and I wasn’t sure…” Lady Blake paused, looking at Yang. “Is everything alright?”

Yang took in a deep breath and ran a hand through her messy golden locks. “You… said it was really hard for you to drink human blood, right?”

Lady Blake flinched. “It still is, sometimes.” She admitted. “Even when my drudges are willing.”

“Well… I learned something about dhampirs. Oscar told me.” Yang felt the queasy feeling return, just thinking about it. “In order for a dhampir to use their vampire-like powers… They need to drink like a vampire.”

“Oh, Yang…” Lady Blake shook her head. “I… I understand. You don’t have to rush, forget whatever Raven told you-”

“No, you don’t understand,” Yang interrupted. “I can’t. I just… I can’t.” Yang shook her head. “I know you have to, to survive, but I don’t. And if I don’t have to… Then I can’t. I _won’t_.”

Lady Blake smiled, not a predatory smile, but genuine smile. “I see.” She nodded. “Well, if that is your decision, then I support you fully. What did Raven say?”

Yang sucked her cheek. “She said that she still wants me to help her kill the queen, even if I don’t use my daywalker powers to do it.” Yang shrugged. “But… I think I’d just get in the way.”

“Well… If you would prefer to stay here with me, then you are most welcome.”

The women nodded and smiled at each other.

\---

The next day at sundown, Raven and Amber left to visit Neo. The pair hadn’t been at breakfast the morning before, though Lady Blake seemed unsurprised by their departure. Yang figured that the vampiresses must have found time to chat during the night, sometime after Lady Blake and Yang’s conversation ended.

As Lady Blake, Weiss, Yang, and Ozpin’s family saw them off, Oscar stared off into the distance, squinting with a frown.

“What’s wrong? You didn’t like them?” Yang teased in a whisper.

“Oh, those two?” Oscar whispered back, looking up to Yang. “They’re going away, we don’t have to worry about them.” He set his eyes back to the horizon. “It’s the vampires that are coming that I don’t like.”

Yang followed his gaze, not seeing any approaching horses. “Who’s coming? Where are they?”

“Oscar, let’s get inside, shall we?” Glynda called from the doorway, and boy peeled off. Yang watched him run, then looked back as Raven and Amber slowly made their way away.

She could only wonder who was coming.


	36. Fairy Tales

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Ruby doesn't have a great-grandmother or even a grandmother in canon so I had to improvise. This is not an attack on Casey Lee Williams, just a need for a name.

A few days after Raven and Amber left, Ozpin and his family took their leave as well. Yang hugged Oscar tightly as she saw the three off, sad to see the young daywalker go so soon.

“I’ll miss you Oscar,” she said as she embraced the boy, squeezing him tightly. “You’re like a little brother that Ruby and I never had.”

“I’ll miss you too, big sis,” Oscar hugged tightly back. “I hope everything we are… works out for you.”

Yang smiled as her eyes misted, nodding gently at the boy’s words. “Same for you, Oscar. Be good for your parents, okay?”

He grinned back. “I always am!”

Ozpin and Glynda left the drudges with stoic handshakes and the vampiresses with quick, one-armed hugs as they made their way to their horses. As Glynda helped Oscar onto his horse, Ozpin paused by Yang.

“There is much more I would have liked to discuss with you, but I’m afraid that circumastances are not the best,” he explained. “Perhaps another time, if… You ever find yourself in the north.”

Yang didn’t quite understand what circumstances he was referring to, but she nodded anyway. “Of course. I don’t know if or when I’d leave, but if I ever do go north, I’ll come find you.”

“See that you do.” Ozpin nodded. “I have a feeling that day might come sooner than you might expect.”

Yang tilted her head as Ozpin and Glynda mounted their horses, Lady Blake and Weiss coming to stand beside her.

“Have a safe trip, Oz.” Lady Blake gave a small, delicate wave of her hand.

“You two, stay safe. And stay smart.” Ozpin nodded to Yang. “And keep her safe.”

Lady Blake and Weiss exchanged a confused glance, but Ozpin had already begun to follow Glynda and Oscar from the castle grounds.

\---

The next two days were quiet. While Ozpin had been staying at the castle, Yang had found it more worth her time to talk to the man than to read his books. After all, given the secretive nature of their race, he hadn’t published any of his research on vampires, so if Yang had questions, it was better for her to ask Ozpin directly. Now that he was gone, however, she was left with the stack of books Weiss had selected for her.

She started with ‘ _Fairy Tales: The Truth Behind the Myth_ ’, thinking of the chapter about the silver-eyed roses. Ozpin theorized that most of the myths were just that- myths, made up to explain the natural world. Still, there were a few outliers.

The fairy tale about the four maidens who represented each season, a tale Summer had told Yang and Ruby while they were growing up, was one that Ozpin had gathered a bit of outdated information that could possibly be taken as proof. As it turns out, there were women throughout history who supposedly had magical sorts of powers, said to be the powers of the maidens in the stories. The little proof that Ozpin _was_ able to gather was inconclusive, and as such, he left the myth as open-ended: either you could choose to believe in it, or you could choose not to.

The next story was the tale of the brothers. It differed from region to region- mostly it was two brothers, but in some regions, it was one brother with two personalities, in other regions it was a brother and a sister, and in yet another it was actually _three_ sisters, yet the concept was the same. One brother created life, the other created the grimm. Ozpin had no proof of this story, either, but he deduced from the fact that it was so wide-spread that there was likely truth behind it. He theorized that perhaps humans and grimm were created as a test by an advanced, more scientific race, and initially observed by two of the race in different regions (or three, in the one case), but that that was simply his theory.

As for the final fairy tale, it was the roses with silver eyes. The fairy tale told of a girl in a red hood with silver eyes with extraordinary powers, from talking to animals to moving at incredibly fast speeds to the ability to kill a grimm just by looking at it. Her name was Rose, and she was thought to be a witch by the people in her village, so they tried to burn her at the stake. She escaped, and for the village's transgressions, she left them behind, never to return. Yet when they were overrun by grimm, she came right back and killed all the grimm for them, and they welcomed her after that. Ozpin had made a special trip out to the town where the silver eyed rose was said to be from.

That town happened to be the one where Summer and Ruby Rose hailed from.

Ozpin reported that while none of the villagers seemed to know of or care about the old fairy tale, there was a local woman named Casey Lee Rose with silver eyes that he talked to. Ruby’s great-grandmother, Summer’s grandmother. Ozpin wrote about how the woman denied the myth and said she killed grimm with weapons like everyone else, yet seemed ‘full of mystery’, like she was hiding a secret. Yang could only guess that he had wrote this book long before he had become a vampire, to have published not only her name and whereabouts, but the likelihood that she was harboring a secret.

The rest of the fairy tales Ozpin dismissed easily, though Yang found herself enjoying his analysis on the stories she had grown up with and the discovery of ones she had never read before.

Once ‘ _Fairy Tales_ ’ was complete, Yang let out a satisfied sigh and closed the back cover with a _thump_ , looking out of the window. Dawn was approaching, and she inwardly applauded herself at taking a mere two days to reach such a long book. Before, it might have taken her two weeks, between all her work in the stables and around the house.

The thought of home gave her a sudden pang of homesickness, and she found herself looking to the horizon, wishing to visit home just once.

She sighed and looked back at her books, to choose between _‘The Secret Crusade: The Third Crusade and Why It’s Hidden’_ and _‘The End of Mountain Glenn’_. She pursed her lips and squinted; she didn’t feel like reading either of them. After reading that fairy tale book, she wanted something more exciting. She looked at the other books on the table- _Miss Manners, On Monsters_ …. She blushed deeply as she gazed at _Ninjas of Love_.

With a jolt, she remembered Velvet telling her about other books a week ago, the night of the party. The ones about _Ninjas of Love_ , but without men. Yang looked to the servant’s bell and made a quick decision.

A half hour later, Yang curled up in her bed with ‘ _Violet’s Garden_ ’ by Saphhos Oum.

\---

The next evening, Yang awoke before Velvet came, startled awake. She looked around her room, quiet and empty, the fading daylight illuminating the corners and eliminating the possibility of vampires. She shook her head, but her heart hammered in chest, putting her on edge. Yang extended her arm, watching as her hand quivered before her.

She wiped her nose and got out of bed, stretching, and walked over to the window. The birds sang their evening song as usual, the sunset just as beautiful as always. Nothing seemed out of the ordinary. Yang shrugged, maybe her moon was throwing her off.

She yawned and padded to the door, heading to the bathroom, reaching to the doorknob as the door opened from the other side. Velvet let out a small noise of surprise as she bumped the door into Yang’s forehead.

“Oh, Miss Xiao Long! I’m so sorry!” the maid apologized. “I hadn’t realized you were there!”

“I’m fine, I was just going to powder my nose,” Yang sucked in a breath and waved her hand. “There’s not a bruise, is there?”

Velvet inspected Yang’s forehead. “Mmmm… Looks like your bangs saved you, dear.” She smiled. “Go on, I’ll get your dress ready.

Yang nodded and walked into the living room, then stopped looking back over her shoulder. “Say, Velvet… Do you feel… _Weird_ today?”

The maid tilted her head. “No, not especially. Why?”

“Nothing.” Yang grinned. “I guess it’s just me.”


	37. A Bad Feeling

Yang faced herself in the mirror. Her reflection showed a mess of blonde hair, slight bags under her violet eyes. She hadn’t slept well. Despite Velvet’s assurance, she couldn’t shake the feeling deep in her gut that something was terribly, horribly wrong. It wasn’t a mild discomfort in her gut, like the day that Pyrrha had come with a Nikos battalion, but a feeling far deeper that chilled Yang to her core. She splashed icy water on her face, rubbing her hands into her skin to try and wash the feeling away.

Walking back to her room, Velvet had picked out an elegant gold dress for- less flashy than the ones she had been wearing while guests had been at the castle, but still lovely. The sleeves were short and puffed around her shoulders, and the corset laced up behind her and ended right at her natural waist. The top of the dress was just plain gold. The bottom had a ruffled gold overskirt with a plain, pale yellow underskirt. Yang smiled to herself in the gown, imaging it on Ruby in red. Her sister would probably spin around to see the skirts fly.

As Velvet fetched heels to complete Yang’s outfit, Coco came in and took over makeup, giving Yang a natural look, a relief from the heavy makeup from when guests were present. “Make sure you’re washing this off and moisturizing properly, Miss Xiao Long,” Coco reminded the daywalker sternly. “Lady Belladonna and Lady Schnee would both say that _ladies do not get blemishes_.”

“Of course, Coco,” Yang laughed. “I will.”

Coco nodded decisively, then led Velvet from the room. As Yang watched then go, the sinking feeling in her gut reared its ugly head once more, and a shiver ran down Yang’s spine. Yang sighed deeply, releasing tension, and walked over to the window.

A small group approached the castle, multiple riders on horseback and one carriage. Yang’s eyes narrowed. ‘ _Is anyone else coming?_ ’ She shook her head. ‘ _The party is over and done with… Perhaps Lady Nikos?’ _The oncoming group was still a ways away, but Yang couldn’t see any house banners to identify House Nikos.__

__“Lady Blake needs to see this,” Yang muttered to herself as she tore her gaze from the window._ _

____

\---

Yang bolted down the stairs at a surprising speed, considering the gold heels. As she made her way quickly from the staircase to the hall of portraits, she met Weiss’ blue gaze.

“Hungry, are we?” Weiss commented bemusedly, crossing her arms. “Dinner’s not quite ready yet, you’ll have to wait.”

“No, that’s not it,” Yang panted. “There’s people- There’s someone coming. I don’t know who.” She pointed an accusing finger toward the door.

Weiss’s eyes followed Yang’s finger as her eyebrows knitted together. “Are you sure about that? The party is over, and the guests have all gone home. Who would be coming _now_?”

Yang stared into Weiss’ eyes. “Exactly.”

Weiss’ eyebrows shot up. “Well, if Gambol and Shroud are doing their jobs properly, then Lady Blake should know who it is already.” She turned on her heel. “Come now, let’s go find out.” Yang trailed along behind the young vampiress as the pair made their way down the hall of portraits. Yang avoided looking at her mother’s portrait, not wanting to meet those sad eyes at a time like this, the uneasy feeling building its way up through her stomach into her chest. The nagging feeling got worse as Yang passed by the portrait of the pale woman with black sclera, the portrait’s red eyes seeming to follow Yang as she passed by, raising the hairs on the back of Yang’s neck. She shuddered and closed the door to the hall as she and Weiss entered the reception room.

Lady Blake was seated by the fire in her usual chair, Shroud on her lap, long-furred tail twitching contentedly. The lady stared into the fire, navy gown draped elegantly about her, the long black underskirt drawn up with her crossed leg, ruffled sleeve falling gently as she leaned her head on her fist.

“I thought ladies didn’t cross their legs,” Yang joked, drawing Lady Blake’s attention.

“Well, yes, of course,” the vampiress uncrossed her legs immediately, displacing Shroud, who jumped off and thrashed his tail with annoyance. “I was… Lost in thought, not thinking of posture. Silly of me, of course.”

“Thinking about the intruders?” Weiss piped up.

Lady Blake’s head whipped around. “ _Intruders_?”

“I saw some people approaching,” Yang informed her. “Upstairs, from my window.”

“How many? Where were they?” Lady Blake demanded. “Why did no one inform me?” She fixed Shroud with a stare, who shrunk back, tail low.

“Just how weak _are_ Gambol and Shroud?” Weiss asked, crossing her arms.

“They’s _not_ weak!” Lady Blake hissed, turning her gaze to Weiss. “They’re just… _old_. This is why I wanted to keep the witch here, to _rejuvenate_ them!”

Weiss shook her head. “Admit it, they’re weak, and they can’t protect you like they used to. You either need to get that witch here to fix them or get new guardians instead of wasting your energy on them.”

Lady Blake sighed and let her hand drift down, Shroud coming forth to be petted by her. “They’ve been here for me for so long… I can’t just _get rid of them_ like an old dress, Weiss.” She looked to Yang. “Is there any way… You could convince your sister to help me?”

Yang’s heart skipped a beat. “You want me… to go home?”

Lady Blake nodded. “Yes, I know it’s dangerous for you, but if you feel that you-”

“I can! I will!” Yang practically jumped with excitement. “I mean, it’ll help keep me safe here, right? To bring Ruby here to fix…” Yang gestured vaguely at Lady Blake and Shroud.

“Yes, to restore Gambol and Shroud. Vampire magic is not the same magic that they were created with, so I can only do so much.” Lady Blake smiled sadly.

“Well, that’s fine, I’m sure Ruby can do something!” Yang said cheerfully. ‘ _I hope Ruby can do something_ ,’ Yang prayed.

“Great, now that that’s all settled, back to the intruders?” Weiss demanded.

“Ah, yes…” Lady Blake stroked Shroud’s long fur. “I sent Gambol out to see who it is. He’s almost there.”

Yang looked at Lady Blake, noting the vampiress’ eyes had a glassy look to them, as though she were looking past the reception room. Yang turned to Weiss. “Can she… _See_ through them?” Yang whispered.

Weiss raised her eyebrows and gave a single nod,as through asking how stupid Yang was, then pointed to her ear, indicating hearing as well. Yang’s face flushed as she looked back to Lady Blake.

“I see them now… There’s so many, and they’re armed…” Lady Blake’s face twisted into dismay. “I don’t understand… That crest… It can’t be…” Lady Blake cried out as she jerked forward, gasping in pain, Shroud yowling in pain.

“Lady Blake!” Weiss and Yang rushed forward.

“Gambol… They killed him.” Lady Blake clutched her arms, shaking.

“Gambol’s… dead?” Yang was stunned.

“For now.” Weiss pointed to Lady Blake’s shadow. “He’s stuck there until he’s healed. Still, it hurts her whenever either of them is injured or killed.”

Yang nodded and looked back to Lady Blake. “Are you alright?”

Lady Blake took a ragged breath, then stood, eyes full of fury. Yang felt a shift in the air of the castle, though she couldn’t quite put her finger on it, but it seemed to affect Weiss, as the vampiress stood straight.

“Let’s go,” Lady Blake hissed, turning and heading for the door.

“Lady Blake…?” Yang reached a tentative hand out, but the vampiress was gone, Weiss following close behind.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Here's the end of Part 2! Next Chapter is Part 3, and all the real shit will start going down! : )  
> Part 3 should be a little bit longer than Part 2 (which was 17 chapters) so I think maybe like 20-ish chapters?  
> 


	38. Bloodlust

Yang followed worriedly behind as Lady Blake took purposeful, wrathful strides down the hallway of portraits, tailed by a mute Weiss. As the three made their way into the parlor, Yang noted that Ren, Nora, and Neptune, and the housekeepers came from the servant’s wing, marching rather than walking, blank expressions on their faces. She looked up as footsteps sounded on the stairwell, and Coco and Velvet came down the stairs in a similar fashion. Behind them came Klein, who seemed normal, holding Weiss’ sword.

“What’s going on?” Yang leaned over to Weiss, concern lacing in her voice as she watched Nora swing her hammer over her shoulder while Ren drew a pistol and a kitchen knife, stoic all the while.

“I don’t know who’s here, but we’re getting ready to fight,” Weiss promised, stealing a quick glance at Yang, icy eyes flashing. She then walked over to the foot of the stairs to meet Klein, taking her sword and exchanging a quick word with the butler. The housekeepers had armed themselves with swords, while Neptune took a trident from a suit of armor. Coco seemed to be prepared to bludgeon enemies with her heavy makeup case, while Velvet held a small cube Yang had seen briefly on her nightstand.

Yang looked around the parlor for weapons, but the only suit of armor was the one that Neptune had taken the trident from. Cursing under her breath, Yang grabbed the gauntlets from the armor, hoping to at least be able to protect her fists.

‘ _At least I got in that night of training with Amber_ ,’ Yang thought bitterly as she ripped the side of her gown's skirts and removed her heels. ‘ _I just hope my hand-to-hand is up to snuff for whoever’s here._ ’

A knock on the door caused Yang to jump, gauntlets clattering. Her heart pounded in her chest as Lady Blake extended a single clawed hand- _clawed?_ \- beckoning the door to open. For a moment, the world was silent, the only sound the beating of Yang’s heart.

“Come now, my love, you know you must invite me in.” A man’s silky voice startled Yang.

“ _Enter,_ ” Lady Blake growled. “That I may rip your _heart from your chest_.”

The man laughed as he stepped over the threshold, into Castle Belladonna. His red hair was ticked with streaks of brown, and an unsettling smile crept onto his face. His crimson trenchcoat swayed as he walked, revealing a blood-red vest and pristine white shirt, unbuttoned at the top. His black pants blended in with his black boots, as did his black sword sheath. What rocked Yang back on her heels, however, was the mask he wore over his- that of a grimm.

“Please, Blake, you can’t _do_ such a thing to your love!” he stepped closer, his vast army of drudges entering behind him. “Truly, you can’t. You’re _far_ too weak.”

Lady Blake hissed and swiped her hand across the man’s face, leaving four bloody tracks in her wake as the man’s head turned in surprise. He grinned as they began to heal ever so slowly.

“My my, looks like you want to fight. But do you _really_ think you can win?” He placed his hand on his hilt and began to unsheathe his sword.

That was the moment Lady Blake struck. The vampiress moved far faster than Yang’s human eyes could see, but the next second, the man was crumpled above the door, Lady Blake holding him by the throat as she reached her other hand back to tear him apart. The drudges began to move, awoken from their daze, Ren firing a shot directly into the brains of one of the man’s drudges, while Nora swung her Hammer out in an arc and crushed another’s ribs with a sickening crack. Weiss darted forward with the speed and grace of a vampiress, slicing and stabbing at the man’s drudges, while Neptune tried to keep up at his mortal pace. Yang watched with wonder as Coco bashed a face in with her makeup case, pausing to clean the blood off her blouse so it wouldn’t leave a stain.

Velvet held her box in both hands, protected by the housekeepers, and seemed to focus on it. The box began to glow, letting out a hum, and a shining yellow light appeared, emanating from Velvet’s box. The light shifted and swirled, then began to take form- a sword? Velvet took the hilt and charged forward with surprising speed, cutting through an enemy with ferocity Yang hadn’t known she possessed.

Yang’s fascination with Velvet was cut short as a drudge rushed her, sword high. Yang lifted her left gauntlet, catching the sword on its downward swing, surprising the drudge with her strength. She grinned, then punched him in his stomach, again, three times, pulling back as he coughed up blood. The blood splashed out onto her gauntlet and her senses twisted. Her sense of smell suddenly sharpened; she could smell the blood, she could smell _all_ the blood. She could _hear_ the blood, pumping through the man’s veins. She looked at his neck, and she could practically _feel_ the blood pulsating through his body. Her whole body trembled as she slowly brought her gauntlet up to her mouth.

Weiss slammed into her.

“ _DON’T_ YOU DARE!” Weiss spat, fractured arm slowly repairing itself as she stabbed her sword through the man’s heart. “If you lose control of yourself in this mess, we’re not going to be able to baby sit you, and there’s no telling _who_ you’ll suck dry!”

The pain in Weiss’ eyes shone clear, and though Yang had never asked, she now knew what had happened to the remaining two Nikos guards. Yang looked down at her gauntlet, then wiped it off on her gown. She raised her gauntlet, then made a fist and pulled it down.

“Don’t worry about me, Weiss. I’ll handle myself.” Yang promised. Weiss nodded, rolled her shoulders, then hopped back into the bloodbath.

Yang followed behind as best she could. Weiss was combat trained for 50 years, Yang for 1 day. Ren made his way behind her, letting off another shot of his pistol before using his knife.

“I need to reload, can you cover me?” He asked over his shoulder, using the pommel to smack a drudge before slicing open their neck. Yang eyed the blood running from the neck momentarily before nodding. Ren began to reload as Yang picked up speed, throwing punches and grabbing weapons whenever an enemy came close. As she punched another drudge directly in the face, driving the nasal bone into the brain, blood splattered out from her nose and onto Yang’s face and chest. Yang shook as Ren finished reloading, firing a shot before expertly swinging his knife around, Yang frozen by the smell of blood so tantalizingly close. Ren looked to Yang confused, then paled.

“Nooorrrrrraaaaaaaaaaa!” He called out watching in horror as Yang slowly reached her tongue out to lap up a droplet of blood.

Lady Blake let out a blood curdling scream, drawing Yang’s attention from the blood. Yang looked to Lady Blake, her hand sticking out of the man’s back. ‘ _What’s wrong?_ ’ Yang thought. ‘ _So what, you clawed your hand through his stomach._ ’ Then she looked up, and saw the man’s hand in Lady Blake’s chest.

The room went quiet as the fighting ceased immediately.

“I have your heart, my darling,” the man purred, stroking the organ. “Best not move, lest I crush the fragile thing.”

“He can’t do that,” Yang whispered. “He can’t. Not to her.” Tears welled in the corners of her eyes, a sob working up from her heart. She tried to bite it back, biting her lip.

Blood entered her mouth.

Yang’s eyes turned red, her body vibrating. Her gauntlets began to rattle quietly as she licked the rest of the blood from around her mouth, filling her with bloodlust.

Then she charged.


	39. Daywalker Hunt

The blood Yang had consumed filled her with more energy than she had ever felt in her mortal life. She was stronger, faster, and as she struck, she didn’t feel the urge to let out human battle cry. Instead, she lunged forward in silence, drawing her right arm back for a calculated tear through the man’s back, to grab the organ he held in Lady Blake’s own chest cavity.

As Yang came forward, time seemed to slow, the drudges moving so slowly they hardly seemed to move at all. Lady Blake’s eyes drifted over the man’s shoulder, watching as Yang flung herself ever closer. The man’s head moved slightly, and time sped back up as Yang thrust her arm forward for the kill.

Yang’s senses returned to normal, her sense of smell and time and speed back down to that of normal human’s as she landed. She looked at Lady Blake, and the first thing she noticed was that the man’s hand was now out of her chest, no longer clutched around her heart. Yet the look on Lady Blake’s face was that of horror, staring down at Yang’s chest.

Yang looked down.

No, Lady Blake wasn’t staring at Yang's chest, she was staring at her arm. Or rather, the stump of her right arm, a gory mess just above where her elbow used to be. Yang looked dumbly up to the intruder, a cocky smile on his face. Shock began to take over and Yang clutched her left hand to the stump in a feeble attempt to stop the bleeding, falling to her knees as a wave of nausea washed over her.

The world around her seemed to fade, the sounds dulling and her vision blurring, the stump beginning to throb as pain made its way through her system.

“You see, Blake,” The man said, “No one can save you. I will cut them all down.” He stepped over to Yang purposefully, making a show of spinning his sword to rest behind Yang’s neck.

“No!” Lady Blake cried out, vampiric blood splattering as she healed slowly from her chest wound. “Adam, please! Don’t kill her!”

Through the haze, Yang looked up through her hair at Lady Blake, those golden eyes filled with sheer terror as she watched Yang’s life at Adam’s mercy. Adam turned to look at Lady Blake, sword hovering.

“And… Why not, my darling?” Adam asked.

Lady Blake hung her head. “I… I surrender.”

‘ _No,_ ’ Yang wanted to shout as Adam smirked, walking leisurely over to where Lady Blake sat hunched. ‘ _No, you can’t give up. Not to him. Not after everything he’s done to you._ ’

“Of course you surrender, Blake,” he soothed. “This was never a _real_ battle, anyway.”

\---

Despite the superior battle tactics of Lady Blake’s drudges, Adam had brought so many drudges of his own that he still had a third of his original number. The Taurus drudges bound the Belladonna drudges and took them to the ballroom, though they let Klein first wrap up Yang’s wound. Klein put a powder on the wound that numbed it, also giving Yang a tablet to swallow for the same reason. Yang’s mind was taken farther into a haze, but it was better than being taken by the pain.

In the echoing space of the ballroom, Adam’s footsteps rang out with agitating _clacks_ , startling Yang. He led Lady Blake in, the healing of her chest complete but for a red rash-like mark over her heart. Weiss was led in after, the vampiresses stood before the Belladonna drudges as if on trial.

“So,” Adam began. “I’m sure you can guess why I’m here.”

“Yes, you want to ruin my life again.” Lady Blake hissed.

Adam _tsked_. “No, darling, I want us to be together. I implored the queen for centuries to tell me where you were, but she refused. She claimed that you would tell me where you were hiding when you were ready.” He chuckled darkly to himself. “Imagine my surprise when Cinder returns from your _party_ , claiming that you’re harboring a daywalker.”

Lady Blake narrowed her eyes.

“Since you and I have history, the queen requested that _I_ come and verify Cinder’s claims.” He smirked, circling Lady Blake like a shark. “As you know, harboring a daywalker would result in your immediate death, but if you _do_ have a daywalker here… Simply tell agree to marry me, then point her out to me that I may kill her. I'll keep it between us.”

“There are no daywalkers here,” Lady Blake said simply.

Adam stood before Lady Blake and drew his sword. “Well, I’m sure you understand, but the queen told me to be _extra sure_ that there were no daywalkers.” He began to walk toward the bound and unarmed Belladonna drudges.

“Wait, no! Adam!” Lady Blake cried out, but the vampire didn’t listen. Yang’s vision swam as he mercilessly beheaded one of the housekeepers.

“SCARLET!” Neptune screamed, attempting to stand, only to be pushed down to his knees by a Taurus drudge as Adam moved on to the next.

“Wait! I lied, there is a daywalker!” Lady Blake began to cry, watching helplessly as Coco and Velvet screamed for Yatsuhashi. 

“Oh, there _is_ a daywalker?” Adam turned, ‘accidentally’ beheading a green-haired housekeeper named Reese. “Well, why didn’t you just say that at the beginning? You could have saved yourself two slaves!” He paused and looked over his shoulder, then looked back apologetically. "Three slaves."

“It’s me,” Neptune forced his way back up. “I’m the daywalker.”

Adam turned slowly with surprise. “Well, imagine that! The daywalker has revealed himself!” He chuckled and motioned forward, swinging his sword in a lazy arc as one of his drudges brought Neptune forward. He looked Neptune up and down. “My my, look at you! A real live daywalker! The queen will be so pleased with me when she hears that I offed you!”

“Go ahead,” Neptune sighed. “Just leave the rest of them alone.”

Adam smiled darkly. “You’re in no position to be making demands.” With a quick movement, he spun his sword and plunged it through Neptune’s stomach.

Neptune cried out, splitting blood, and Adam laughed, leaning forward. “It was a waste, you know.” He said to Neptune. “Cinder told me the daywalker was a woman with blonde hair.” Neptune’s eyes went wide as Adam twisted his sword then removed it, leaving Neptune to die slowly. Adam’s gaze fell to Yang. “A woman with blonde hair…”

“Aren’t you forgetting someone?” A voice asked from behind Adam.

Adam turned to one of the housekeepers, then tilted his head. “ _You?_ ”

The housekeeper, a dark-skinned woman with big, platinum hair, had somehow freed herself of her binds and stalked forward. Arslan, Yang remembered. “ _She_ is a horse girl, not a fighter. And her hair is gold, not blonde.” She narrowed her green eyes. “Besides, you defeated her so easily, and she didn’t even heal. How could you even have _thought_ she was me?”

Adam laughed. “I see. So, you want a fight?”

Arslan nodded. “I’m a daywalker. I’ve been training half my life to take you out.” She extended her right arm, palm up, keeping her left arm in close, fist closed. “And once I’m done with you, I’ll send your decapitated head to the queen with two words: You’re next.”


	40. Taurus and Schnee

‘ _Arslan… is a daywalker…?_ ’ Yang stared at the woman, combat stance low and perfect, much more prepared to take Adam down than Yang had been. ‘ _Why didn’t Oscar say anything about her?_ ’ She turned her gaze to Lady Blake, whose face was stone solid and emotionless. ‘ _Wouldn’t Lady Blake have noticed when she tried to make Arslan her drudge?_ ’ The pain medicine than Klein had given her made thinking about it difficult for Yang.

Adam swung his sword, testing Arslan, who blocked it easily, sending him back with a swift kick. “You’ll have to do better than that, pretty boy,” she taunted, lowering her left foot back to the ground, balance perfect. Yang stared in awe, wishing she had trained with the woman.

“I was just testing you,” Adam growled, to which Arslan rolled her eyes with a smirk. Adam charged forward quickly, slicing in a flurry that would take out all but the most skilled of fighters. Luckily, Arslan was very skilled, ducking and blocking, throwing punches and kicks where Adam’s guard dropped even momentarily.

Adam made to stab forward but feinted, grabbing the hilt with his other hand and swinging down. Arslan’s eyes widened as she slipped to the side and spun, leg high, her heel connecting with Adam’s cheek before the vampire could bring his sword back up. Arslan flipped her hair nonchalantly, and a pink-haired housekeeper named Nadir cheered. Adam narrowed his eyes and nodded to one of his drudges, who snapped Nadir’s neck.

Arslan’s eyes widened with shock as she watched Nadir’s corpse fall to the ground beside the green-haired Reese. Adam took the opportunity to strike, bringing his sword around and striking Arslan before she brought herself back and backed away, a gash bleeding from her left bicep. The scent of her blood slowly made its way toward Yang.

Yang inhaled the scent and closed her eyes. She smell of it made her so hungry, and she felt her canines extend inside her mouth. The scent took her back to the battle, where she had reveled in that same scent, almost losing herself-

Wait.

The same scent.

The scent of drudge blood, not daywalker blood.

Yang’s eyes snapped open, and she stared hard at Arslan, fighting a doomed battle. There was no way a mere human, even a drudge, could ever hope to defeat a vampire. Yet her eyes were steeled with resolve, and she fought through the pain of her wound.

Yet there was only so much she could do. Now injured, she lost some of her dexterity, and began to favor her right arm. Adam took advantage of this, repeatedly striking from the left, forcing her to be hit or to block with her leg, taking hits below. She began to slow, cuts marring the left side of her body.

She was losing. But still, she refused to give up. Adam swung from the left, Arslan spinning and jumping back, taking a small cut as she wheeled around to land a forceful punch to his chest while he was still overextended from the failed hit. Adam coughed and staggered back, Arslan falling back into a defensive pose, protecting her left side. Adam grinned.

The drudge behind Arslan thrust his knife through Arslan’s chest. Her eyes went wide as she sputtered, blood droplets spraying from her lips. She fell to her knees before Adam, who swiftly beheaded her. He bent down and grabbed Arslan’s head by the hair, lifting it up to show to Lady Blake.

“Well, was she worth it, my darling?” He goaded.

Lady Blake shook, claws digging into her palms, dripping vampiric blood onto the floor as she stared him down. “Yes,” she answered. “She was worth everything. And you couldn’t even defeat her yourself.”

Adam snarled and strode over to Lady Blake, slapping her with his free hand. “ _You’ve_ never fought a daywalker, Blake,” he growled. “I did this for _you_. No, for _us_. And you _mock_ me?” He took her chin in his hand, forcing her to look at him. “Perhaps I should have made _you_ fight her. I doubt a lousy fighter such as yourself would have survived.” He released Lady Blake’s chin and turned away, handing off Arslan’s head to one of his drudges. “Package this up nicely, slave. It’s for the queen.”

Adam turned his attention to Weiss. “Now, who is _this_? As far as I knew, you lived alone with your drudges.”

“I am Weiss Schnee,” Weiss said, puffing out her chest. “I was her drudge until recently, when circumstances led to me becoming a vampire.”

Adam laughed and turned to his drudges. “Schnee? Isn’t that a coincidence?”

“I fail to see how this is humorous,” Weiss scoffed, crossing her arms. “I am the daughter of Jacques Schnee, former King of this land. I have been campaigning for support to take this country back from the Ironwoods and take my place as rightful heir to the throne.”

“Rightful heir?” Adam laughed. “You’re just a girl! And a vampire now, at that! How could you possibly lead the human nation?”

Weiss narrowed her eyes. “I’ll admit, the vampirism was… unexpected… but I will make do. With no other surviving Schnees, it is up to me to restore my family name.”

“No other surviving Schnees?” A young man, seemingly in his thirties, came forth from the doorway, walking as though he owned the world. His white hair was combed immaculately, as was his mustache, his icy blue eyes the same shade as Weiss’.

Klein’s eyes widened as the man approached. “Jacques…?” He whispered. “How… How are you…?”

The man smirked and walked past, coming to stand beside Adam. “Hello, Weiss. It’s been a few decades. Do you recognize me?”

Weiss stared at the man, confused plain on her face. “…Whitley?” She ventured. 

The man laughed. “My, I suppose time has been kinder to you than to me after all!” Whitley Schnee bowed mockingly. “How are you, my dear ‘older’ sister?”

“But… How?” Weiss shook her head. “Klein said that everyone was dead, that I was the only one left…”

“Ah, yes, the useless butler who picks favorites.” Whitley looked over his shoulder with a disgusted face. “After he _abandoned_ me to my death, while I was still _very much alive_ , mind you, I was taken in by new parents. They were horrible, so I ran away. I lived by myself, on the road, an orphan, until I was 15, when kind Lord Taurus here took me in as a drudge.” Whitley smiled and patted Adam on the shoulder affectionately.

“But if you were 15, then how…” Weiss gestured vaguely.

“Well, Adam doesn’t like his boys so young, so he released me from drudgehood so that I could age until I suited his desires,” Whitley explained, drawing shock from Weiss. “In that time, I saw a drawing of our dear departed father, who I resemble greatly, and realized who I truly was.” He paused thoughtfully. “Adam has been truly supportive, allowing me to age to when I wanted before turning me back into a drudge rather than stopping me when I most appealed to him.”

“Well, my dear Whitley, you _have_ aged well.” Adam smiled, relishing the shocked look on Weiss’ face. “You do indeed still appeal to me.” Whitley smiled, but Adam broke his gaze with a sigh. “However, as attractive as you are, you do not appeal to me as much as _she_ does.”

Whitley glared at Lady Blake, who stared hard at Adam.

“Now, my darling, now that this whole daywalker mess is over…” Adam kicked Arslan’s headless corpse. “What do you say you rejoin me once more? Whitley has a nation to run and can’t be by my side forever, after all.”

Blake closed her eyes with a heavy sigh, crossing her arms.

“Adam Taurus,” she said evenly, “I would rather watch the sun rise.”


	41. Revenge for Fallen Friends

Adam sighed. He flicked the blood from his sword, then sheathed it, shaking his head with disappointment. “That won’t do,” he muttered. “That won’t do at all. We’ll have to change your mind, now won’t we?” He nodded to a drudge. “Take her drudges down to the cellar, I’m sure there’s a dungeon down there.” He turned, kicking Arslan’s corpse. “And clean this mess up.” Adam stalked off, Whitley following closely behind after giving Blake a dirty look.

Yang was hauled to her feet, or as to her feet as she could get considering, watching through hazy eyes as the rest of the Belladonna drudges were harshly prodded to standing.

All the Belladonna drudges but Arslan, Nadir, Reese, Scarlet, Yatsuhashi, and Neptune. As she was dragged, half-stumbling, past Neptune, she looked down at her friend, stab wound through his stomach circled with blood. His normally excited deep blue eyes were glassy, the life gone from them, and Yang choked on a sob, tears beginning to fall.

“That your friend, blondie?” One of the drudges hauling Yang taunted. Yang looked up at the man, his ginger hair slicked back, indigo eyes devoid of mercy. A flicker of familiarity sparked in Yang, but she couldn’t place it. “That’s what you get. You killed _my_ friend.”

Yang’s head spun as he jerked her, purposely hitting the stump of her right arm. One of the Belladonna drudges must have told the Taurus drudges how to access the cellar, because Yang was dragged down the dark stairs, knees hitting every step. The ginger man merely laughed as she cried out in pain.

The entrance to the cellar was mostly stocked with food, which Yang was dragged past. After a turn, Yang watched wine barrels pass, then cells. She heard the clanking of doors and keys, and after a few moments, she was unceremoniously thrown into a cell. She rolled with the throw, unable to stop herself, and hit the wall with a moan.

“Do you remember Dove?” The ginger drudge asked cooly, giving Yang a kick to the ribs. Yang cried out and curled in to a fetal position. “He was the blonde man. You caught his sword, then pummeled him with those gauntlets.” The man rolled Yang over. “Lot of good those gauntlets did you, huh? Should have just let Dove kill you, you useless bitch!” He kicked Yang’s stump, hard.

Yang screamed, rolling away, but as she was on her back, the man stepped down on her, cracking a rib. Yang began to hyperventilate, clutching the stump of her right arm protectively with her left hand. The ginger leaned close, fury in his eyes. “I should kill you,” he spat. “Hit your arm until you can’t feel it, then hit your fucking face in.” His hand drifted down to the handle of his mace.

“Come on, Cardin,” The other drudge said from the cell door. “If you kill any of the drudges, Adam will be pissed. We’ll never make vampire if we get on his bad side.”

“Shut the fuck up, Sky,” Cardin shouted over his shoulder. “Look at this bitch, she’s half dead anyway! We can just say she died from her wounds and we used her corpse for practice!”

Sky ran a hand through his shoulder-length silver hair. “I don’t know, Cardin. I mean, don’t get me wrong, I’m pissed about Dove too, but…” he shook his head. “If you do this, do it by yourself.” Sky walked away, leaving Cardin and Yang alone in the cell.

“Fine, I will! Just don’t snitch, or you’ll be next!” Cardin shouted, earning a middle finger from Sky. Cardin turned back to Yang with a sneer. “Well, looks like it’s just us, blondie. Want to have some fun?” He grabbed Yang’s left wrist, pulling it away. Yang screamed, tears flowing, writhing under Cardin’s boot to get away, to save herself. “Don’t struggle, bitch. It’ll just make things take longer.” Cardin yawned. Then he smiled cruelly. “Then again, I guess I could take my time with this.”

“P… Please… I’m sorry…” Yang sobbed, trying desperately to get away from the man.

“You’re _sorry_?” Cardin seethed. “‘Sorry’ doesn’t fucking cut it, blondie. ‘ _Sorry_ ' doesn’t bring Dove back!”

The familiarity came back, and Yang's mind clicked it into place. Yang’s eyes filled with fire. “Yeah, well ‘sorry’ doesn’t fucking bring _Arslan_ back either, asshole!” She wheeled her leg up and kicked Cardin's face. Cardin sputtered, reeling back, and Yang felt satisfaction. “You stabbed Arslan in the back, you useless scrotum fold!” she screamed, kicking him again. A bruise began to form around his eye, and blood started to drip from his nose.

Yang’s eyes dilated, and she felt her fangs extend. “You couldn’t even fucking face her like a man,” she hissed. Cardin shook his head and looked down at her, reaching for his mace with a twisted grin. Yang wrenched her left arm free from his grip and whipped her arm forward, grabbing his collar. Cardin’s eyes widened with surprise as she yanked him down to her, opening her mouth.

“Wait, she wasn’t the…” realization washed over his face as he opened his mouth to alert the other guards. Yang ripped his collar open single handedly and buried her mouth into his neck, severing his windpipe in her search for his carotid. Cardin gagged, wheezed, and sputtered, but otherwise made no sound as Yang began to drain him.

Blood ran down Yang’s throat, and she relished the flavor. She bit deeper, swallowing bits of muscle and meat, but she didn’t care as long as she was getting blood. As the life slowly left Cardin’s body, Yang felt herself rejuvenating. Her right arm began to tingle, and she wrapped it around Cardin, bringing him closer to drink more of his blood.

But then, just as she had started, suddenly she stopped. She bit and sucked, but Cardin’s corpse refused to yield more blood. Angrily, Yang threw the useless drained thing to the side, looking for more blood. Her right arm no longer throbbed, and now it ended just below the elbow. Just enough to hunt. The door to her cell was open, and she rushed out, the scent of blood in the air. She followed the smell to another cell.

Her eyes were wide and red, and now she had found more prey. The door to the cell was locked, and just past lie Velvet and Coco. Velvet’s arm was wrapped up, blood soaking through slightly, drawing Yang in. She let out a cry as she rushed to the bars, reaching her left hand through.

But she couldn’t reach Velvet. Couldn’t reach that blood.

Yang backed out from the bars of the cell, pulling one of the bars to the left with her left hand and pushing the one next to it as far to the right as she could. Yang pushed her head through, then her left arm, but her shoulders were too wide to get to Velvet. Yang screamed in frustration at the maid, cowering in the corner instead of coming to the bars to let Yang at her blood. Yang backed out of the cell to pry the bars farther apart.

“Cardin? Is everything…” Sky stopped as he rounded the corner, standing beside wine barrels. Yang paused her work on Velvet and Coco’s cell to regard the man. He wasn’t bleeding, but he was close. So close. So, so, _tantalizingly_ close. He drew his sword and began to stalk forward menacingly, eyes on Yang, and Yang felt his heartbeat speed up.

It was too much temptation.

She abandoned Velvet, rushing to meet Sky. He swung his sword, a meager human swing. Yang, filled with bloodlust, took the hit, a deep gash in her side. Yet she didn’t slow. Too late, Sky realized something was terribly, horribly wrong with the girl, and barely managed to gawk before Yang clawed his collar open and bit into his neck. Sky weakly pulled his sword back, trying in vain to get Yang off of him, but this time Yang knocked the sword from his hand, not in the mood for an interruption. She drained him, and the tingling in her right arm returned. After Sky stopped yielding blood, Yang threw his corpse aside, rounding the corner to the entrance of the cellar.

Two more guards were standing by the stairs, standing next to each other and whispering. Yang rushed in on her new prey, jumping at the last second to rip the throat of out one. The remaining guard stared in horror at her comrade, but had no time to mourn as Yang bit into her neck. After draining Sky, she had regained up her right wrist, and now drinking from the girl, her hand slowly began to grow back. Yang was still thirsty, but draining the girl took longer than Cardin and Sky.

With the girl empty, Yang dropped her corpse and picked up the other guard. He was still alive but barely. Yang licked her lips and bit his neck, savoring the flavor. He slowly died in her arms, both back to their original state, the injury on her side from Sky’s sword now healed.

As the guard slowly began to run out of blood, Yang’s eyes drifted open. ‘ _What… Am I doing…?_ ’ She thought. ‘ _Why does this… Taste so good?_ ’ Her eyes lazily drifted down to the guard’s corpse, then snapped open. Yang dropped the corpse in horror.

‘ _What… What have I done?_ ’


	42. Escape

Yang’s heart sped up as she took a step back, then another. Her breathing came faster and faster until she began to hyperventilate, her whole body shaking as she stared at the two corpses of the guards that she had killed. She took a second step back, then a third, then turned away and ran back down the hall from which she had came. As she rounded the corner by the wine barrels, she saw Sky’s drained corpse laying by the wall she had thrown it against. She backed away into the corner, then slid down the wall and held her head in her hands, staring at her knees.

“No… No, no, no, no, no, no…” Yang shook her head and sobbed, rocking herself back and forth. Tears fell from her face onto her torn dress as she rocked, hyperventilating and muttering to herself.

“Yang?” A voice called out hesitantly from the dungeon cells, past the wine barrels. Past Sky’s corpse. Yang looked up, struggling to breathe normally. “Yang, are you… _you_?” Coco held the bars of her and Velvet’s cell, the ones that Yang had attempted to pry open in her earlier rampage. Yang lowered her head back behind her knees, hiding from Coco, pushing herself farther into the corner.

“I’m sorry… I’m sorry… I’m sorry…” Yang tried to hide in the shadows, to hide herself from lives she had taken and the ones she almost took, but Coco was persistent.

“Yang, listen. Right now, Lady Blake and Weiss are both in danger, and they didn’t bring Klein down here, so he probably is too.” Coco paused, then reached a hand out and snapped her fingers impatiently. “Yang, listen to me! Are you listening?”

Yang shook her head, burying her hands deeper in her messy hair. “I’m sorry!” She screamed, trembling.

“Yang, come here!” Coco demanded. Yang peeked over her knees at the woman. “ _Now_ , Yang. Quit your blubbering and get a move on! We don’t have time to sit around!”

Yang sniffed and hesitantly pushed herself up to her feet, knees wobbling. “Good! Now come here!” Yang took a tentative step, legs shaking, then shook her head and leaned back against the wall. Her breathing sped back up as she looked at Sky’s corpse. 

“Don’t you _dare_ sit back down, Yang!” Coco shouted. “Sit down, and I will crawl out of here and smack you!” Coco had turned her body, managing to slip her head and arm out of the cell, but her bust was too large to fit through. “Now get over here! We don’t have all night!”

Yang gulped and pushed herself away from the wall, stumbling forward. “Good, keep going!” Coco motioned Yang on with her hand. Keeping her eyes on Coco, Yang walked past Sky’s corpse, going to the cell.

Coco looked Yang in the eye, her deep brown eyes full of determination. “Yang, there’s something I need you to do. It’s going to be hard, but only you can do it. Do you _promise_ me that you’ll do it?”

Yang gulped, holding Coco’s gaze, but gave a single nod.

“Good. That guard with the silver hair has keys to the cells. I need you to let us out.” Yang’s eyes widened at the thought of going over to the corpse, and she shook her head. “Yang, you are the _only_ one out of their cell. You _promised_. Now go get those keys!” Coco pointed over to Sky’s corpse.

Yang slowly turned around, looking at the drained body. “No… No, I can’t…” Her hands trembled as she backed into Coco and Velvet’s cell. “I’m sorry…”

Coco reached through the bars and grabbed the front of Yang’s dress, spinning her around, then reached the other arm through and smacked Yang. “I warned you I would smack you,” Coco said, then nodded at Sky. “Now please, go get those keys before I smack you again.”

Velvet stood just behind Coco, looking worriedly over her partner’s shoulder. “Try walking backwards, then you won’t have to look,” Velvet suggested. “We’ll tell you when you’re there, so then all you’ll have to do is reach down and grab the keys. Will that work?”

Yang thought about it, then nodded, taking a shuffling step backward. “That’s it, keep going! You can do this!” Velvet cheered Yang on. “Now move to the left a bit- sorry, to your right- yes, good! Just a few more steps!”

Yang’s heart hammered in her chest. “Alright, stop!” Velvet called out. “Now reach your _right_ hand down…” Yang sank to her knees, eyes shut tight, and held her right arm down, left hand in a fist by her heart. “Almost there… A little bit to your right…” Yang felt cool metal brush her fingertips. She reached her fingers around the object- a key?- and began to pick it up. She heard the clanking of metal, then felt resistance.

“Oh, Yang… It’s, um, it’s in his pocket. Pull the keys farther right.” Yang followed Velvet’s directions, looking to her left as she reached her arm farther to the right. After a moment, the resistance was gone, and the keys swung freely in her hands. Velvet and Coco let out a cheer.

“Good! Now bring the keys back!” Coco instructed. Yang stood slowly, then walked back to the cell, extending her hand out mutely for Coco. Coco took the keys and hurriedly opened the door to her cell, freeing herself and Velvet.

“Here, free the others,” Coco handed the keys to Velvet before turning to Yang. Velvet nodded worriedly, then bustled over to the other cells to free the remaining Belladonna drudges. Coco crossed her arms.

“So, what was all that about?” She asked evenly, staring hard at Yang. “Why did you try to break into our cell like that?”

Yang stared down at her feet. “I… I’m sorry. I’ve never drank blood before, I don’t know how to control it.”

Coco sighed. “So, Arslan _wasn’t_ the daywalker after all.” She shook her head and closed her eyes. “She must have wanted to save Bolin and Nadir.” 

Bolin, the black-haired tan housekeeper, walked over behind Coco, closely followed by Sage, the dark-skinned, green-haired friend of Neptune and Scarlet. “We all knew about Yang, but Lady Blake made us promise not to tell anyone,” Bolin admitted. “Arslan, Reese, Nadir, and I were charged with keeping her safe, but we weren’t really needed until now.” He hung his head. “I guess I’m the last one.” Sage laid a comforting hand on Bolin’s shoulder, having also lost his closest friends that night.

Yang began to cry. “I’m so sorry, Bolin,” she wailed. “I never wanted this, never wanted _any_ of this.” She shook her head. “If I had known, I would have told you guys not to worry about me…”

Bolin laughed. “You would have died during the fight, then, without us looking out for you. You should be glad.”

Yang shook her head. “You should be mad,” she said. “I’m the reason they’re all dead. If it wasn’t for me, Adam would never have come here, he would have never-”

Bolin raised a hand, cutting her off. “We’ve served Lady Blake for a while now. Before she took us in as her drudges, we were orphans, our only hope of survival panhandling and thieving. She gave us our task, and we accepted, knowing it could be dangerous.” He met her gaze. “They would want me to keep going, to finish the job. Especially Arslan.” He smiled sadly.

“We all need to finish our jobs,” Velvet said with passion, walking up behind the group, followed closely by Ren and Nora. “We’re drudges, we’re supposed to protect our mistress. And we’ve got a daywalker on our side! There’s no way Adam stands a chance!”

“That’s right!” Nora cheered. “Lady Blake did so much for us, for _all_ of us! We can’t just let Adam walk all over her like this can we?” She swung Cardin’s mace, apparently looted from his corpse. “Now come on, let’s go take this guy down! Who’s with me?”

In the dark of the dungeon, surrounded by the corpses of Taurus drudges, the Belladonna drudges cheered.


	43. Jailbreak

Yang swallowed a lump in her throat as the drudges made plans to take Adam down, rescuing Lady Blake and Weiss. Ideas were thrown out, shot down, amended, then shot down again.

“Just let me get him!” Nora brandished her mace confidently, surprisingly strong for her small frame. “I’ll go up there and smack him so hard, he won’t know what hit him!”

Ren laid a gentle hand on her shoulder, shaking his head. “You’re not fast enough, Nora,” He said simply. “Adam would rip your heart out before you could get a good swing in.”

Nora pouted, then turned to Yang, holding out the mace. “Then _Yang_ can do it! She moved just as fast as a vampire earlier!” She grinned mischievously, pushing the mace into Yang’s arms. Yang stared down at the weapon, hands trembling, then shook her head.

“I… I don’t think I can do it,” She looked back up at Nora and handed the mace back. “Here, you’re stronger than me, Nora. You do it.”

“Ren’s right though, she’s not fast enough to kill a vampire.” Velvet clasped her hands together nervously. “You’re a daywalker, Yang, can’t you… I don’t know… Drink some blood and then do it?”

Yang barked out a laugh. “You want me to drink blood?” She pointed at Sky’s corpse, drained of blood. “ _That’s_ what happens when I drink blood, Velvet. All of Adam’s drudges down here are dead thanks to me, so who does that leave?” Yang ran a hand through her tangled golden locks. “Are you volunteering? Because _that’s_ what will happen if you let me drink from you.”

Velvet looked away quickly, scooching closer to Coco. Nora took the mace back sadly, looking at her feet. It was Sage who stepped forward.

“Both of my best friends are dead because of Adam,” Sage said evenly. “They died to protect Lady Blake, for everything that she’s done for them. I know that they would do it again in a heartbeat, too.” Sage sighed, then unclasped the buttons at the collar of his shirt. “I don’t care if I die from this, I’ll be with Neptune and Scarlet. If it’s for Lady Blake, I’d do anything.” Sage held his collar open, golden eyes steady.

Yang took a tentative step backward, away from Sage. “You’re crazy,” she sputtered. “Even if I drink your blood, there’s no guarantee I can win against Adam.” She reached her left arm across her body, holding her newly regrown right arm tight. “If I try to fight him again and fail again, he might take more than my arm. I just… I don’t think I’m ready.” Tears pricked the corners of her eyes, and she quickly wiped them away. “Besides, I’ve already drained four people. I don’t want to drain another, especially someone I care about.”

“We won’t let you,” Bolin assured her, stepping beside Sage and placing a hand on his shoulder. “I promised Lady Blake that I’d protect you, and I will. If you start to take too much, I’ll stop you.”

“Please, Yang.” Nora begged, gripping the mace tightly to her chest. “If I could I would, believe me, but… _You’re_ the only one who can do this.”

“I _can’t_ do this,” Yang nearly shouted. “Last time I went up against Adam, he took me down so quickly that I didn’t even know what had happened until I saw my arm on the ground! I know you all think I’m some powerful vampire hunter, but I’m not. I’m just…” She shook her head, tears falling freely. “I’m a murderer, and I can’t even kill vampires.”

Her shoulders shook with sobs, and Coco laid a hand on one. “Listen, Yang, I know you’ve been through a lot…” she stole a glance at Sky’s corpse before continuing. “But you really _are_ the only one who can do this.”

“We’re all here to support you,” Ren added, holding Nora close. “We need to be brave. We need you with us.”

“Just hold yourself together for a little bit longer,” Coco implored. “I know this is all new for you. Hell, it’s new for all of us.” She looked to Bolin. “Well, _almost_ all of us. I promise you, as soon as Adam is gone and Lady Blake is safe, you can have as much time as you need to recover. But right now, we need you. We need your power.”

Yang took a deep breath, looking around at Lady Blake’s drudges. They would do anything for the vampiress, even risk death at the fangs of a daywalker. She let the breath out and looked at Sage. “Alright, I’ll try.”

Sage’s golden eyes lit up, and Yang realized how much they reminded her of Lady Blake’s. She stepped in, closer to Sage, and shifted her gaze to his neck. Her heart was pounding, fearful of killing him on accident. His heart pounded as well, likely scared for the same reason, and Yang felt the throb of his carotid with each heart beat. Her fangs extended and she leaned in, placing her hands on Sage’s shoulders, lips to his neck.

She bit in slowly, and Sage let out a slight hiss as his blood entered Yang’s mouth. She hadn’t been hungry after her fourth victim, yet she found herself entranced by the bitter tang of his blood. Her senses peaked as she drank, hearing the heartbeats of the drudges around her, smelling their blood. Sage placed his hand on Yang’s shoulder, and she shrugged it off, drinking more.

Almost as soon as it began, it was over, Bolin pulling Yang away from Sage. She spun her head around and hissed at him, but the man stood his ground.

“That’s enough, Yang,” He said. “Unless you want to drain Sage, too.” Bolin nodded to Sky’s corpse, and Yang felt herself come back, as though her mind had dozed off while her daywalker side drank greedily. She began to shake, turning back to Sage.

“Sage, I- I’m so sorry,” She started, but Sage cut her off with a weak laugh.

“I’m okay, Yang,” he assured her, hand on his neck to stop the bleeding. He looked pale, and swayed slightly, but he was alive. Relief washed over Yang.

“So, how do you feel?” Nora asked excitedly. “Do you think you can go take Adam now?”

Yang took in a deep breath, then let it out slowly, listening to her body. She was filled with nervous energy, and she felt as though she could run from Castle Belladonna back to her home in a mere hour, killing any Grimm she happened to pass on the way with ease. “I think so,” she said, drawing a grin from the ginger. “I guess I won’t know until I try.”

\---

The drudges stole their way out from the cellar, Yang leading the way. They came up in a small room with a table stacked with serving trays, a china cabinet, and several rolling serving tables. Yang looked around the room, lost.

“Wait, where are we?” She asked, unfamiliar with this part of the castle.

“This is the serving room,” Ren explained. “Only the staff comes in here, but you’ve probably seen Klein coming from that door.” He pointed to the door closest to the serving tables. “That one leads to the dining room, while this one leads to the foyer.” He placed a hand on a second door. “I doubt you’ve seen this door, it’s pretty well hidden under the stairs.”

Yang remembered the incident with Lady Nikos, when Nora had locked them up in the dungeon to save for Weiss to feed on. Nora had come out from that door then. Yang stepped toward the door, closing her eyes. She felt the heartbeats and smelled the blood of the drudges behind her, and through the door…

“There’s four of Adam’s guards out in the foyer.” She opened her eyes and turned back to her comrades. “If we move quickly, we can take them out and head back to the ballroom before Adam knows what happened.”

Nora spun her mace excitedly, while Ren carefully selected knives from the cabinet. “Let’s do this!” Nora said excitedly, her husband shaking his head at his wife’s impulsiveness. Yang smiled, placing a hand on the doorknob, then stopped. “What’s wrong?” Nora asked impatiently, bouncing the head of the mace on her toes. Yang held up a finger to silence her, and the sound of voices grew louder.

“There’s more now… I don’t know how many. Too many for us to take down.” She looked worriedly back at the group. “I… I don’t know what’s going on.”

“They might just be rotating guards,” Coco suggested, seemingly irritated that she couldn’t go fight with them. “Just wait for them to finish, then go out and have fun.”

Yang nodded and closed her eyes, willing the sounds and smells of the serving room away to better find out what was going on in the foyer. Her eyes opened wide as she took in a deep breath, making sure she smelled correctly. She turned back.

“He’s here,” she said fearfully. “It’s Adam. And he brought Lady Blake.”


	44. Danger

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry it took so long to post this, I'm fostering a cat and she's being a butt and I still don't know if she's FIV/FeLV positive because she won't behave for the vet!

“Adam?” Nora asked, pausing in the bouncing of her mace, eyes widening. “How many of his drudges are out there with him?”

Yang nervously turned back to the door, but there were so many heartbeats on the other side of the wood. “I don’t know, there’s so many.” She shook her head. “I know Adam’s there, and Lady Blake too…” She paused. “And Weiss? And Klein!” She stepped back. “I… I think something bad is going to happen.”

“Then we have to get out there!” Nora pushed Yang aside. “Ren and I will take out the drudges, and you can get Adam.”

Ren stopped her, holing Nora’s shoulder. “Wait. We don’t know why he’s here.” Nora paused, looking back at her husband. “I didn’t think he would re-establish his connection to his drudges while Lady Blake might kill them, but if he had, then…”

“Shit.” Coco seethed. “Yang just sucked four of them dry. If he was connected to them, he would know.”

Yang looked between Ren and Coco. “What does that mean? Being connected?”

Ren sighed. “Normally, a vampire has a psychic connection to their drudges, where they reciprocate any injuries sustained, apparently to stop drudges from killing their masters." Yang nodded, remembering when Weiss and Velvet had been burned by sunlight when Lady Blake came down the stairs to confront Pyrrha. "It takes conscious effort to break the connection, so vampires usually only do it when they fight so that their drudges survive, but…” He shook his head. “Adam wasn’t fighting. It’s a gamble now, whether he knows what you’ve done or not.”

“I doubt he does,” Sage piped up, sitting on the floor, back against the wall, still recovering from Yang’s bite. “Like you said earlier, if Lady Blake was to kill one of his drudges he would feel it, and she could use that against him. Same for Weiss.” Sage shook his head. “He doesn’t care about his drudges, so I think he’d probably keep the connection severed until he knew for a fact that neither of them would try anything reckless.”

The logic was sound, but Yang was still worried. “Regardless of whether he knows or not, we’ve only got one shot,” she said evenly. “If we do this, we must be sure that we can actually take Adam down, and that you two can distract all the drudges.” She looked between the married pair, both confident.

Yang walked back to the door, Ren and Nora just behind her. “Alright, let’s go. Quick, fast, and quiet.”

The two nodded firmly, Nora excited, and Yang let out a deep breath. She gripped the door’s handle and gently twisted, then opened. Mercifully, the hinges were well oiled, and the door made no noise as she pushed it open. She peeked through the crack.

Lady Blake stood a mere few feet away, standing by herself, back to the hall of portraits. Her face was twisted into a grimace, Adam’s voice echoing around the foyer. Yang sucked in a breath and snuck through the door, closing it behind her, much to Nora’s dismay.

“Lady Blake!” She hissed quietly. Lady Blake’s body and face did not move, but her eyes shifted slightly, then widened. Lady Blake feigned irritation and walked closer to the door, hidden by the stairs.

“Yang, what are you doing? Get out of here!” She said, not taking her eyes off the spectacle ahead.

“We’re here to rescue you,” Yang explained. “I broke everyone out, we’re all safe. Ren, Nora, all the others. Come with us, we’re getting out of here.”

“I can’t leave Weiss and Klein.” Lady Blake sighed. “Take them and go, get them somewhere safe. Adam was just using them as leverage against me. Without them, he’s lost his bargaining chips.” The vampiress stole a quick glance at Yang. “Please, get them somewhere safe.”

“You know that won’t work, they’ll never leave without you.” Yang retorted. “If you help us, we can take Adam down. I drank a lot of blood, I even have my arm back! I can take him!” Yang raised her right fist, to prove a point, but Lady Blake shook her head minutely.

“No, you can’t take him. Even _I_ couldn’t take him. I couldn’t protect any of you, again…” Tears pricked her eyes. “Please, Yang, just go. Be safe. You’re too valuable.”

“ _You’re_ too valuable!” Yang wanted to shout, but she couldn’t risk drawing attention. “Please! Your drudges would do anything for you, just give us a chance!”

“Why? Why won’t you just leave?” Lady Blake hissed. “Save yourself! If you kill the queen, you can save me! Please!”

“I _can’t_ just leave you! I…” Yang struggled for words. She thought about how to say what she felt, what it was that Lady Blake meant to her. _Why_ Yang wouldn’t leave. She wasn’t even a drudge, she owed the vampiress no loyalty. And yet….

“I just… I care about you. A lot.” Yang’s fists trembled at her sides. “I can’t just leave without you. I _won’t_.”

“Yang…” Lady Blake made to turn to Yang, but Weiss’ cry caught her attention. Lady Blake looked back, horrified, and Yang risked a peek around the corner.

“That’s what you get for choosing _her_ over _me_!” Whitley shouted, Weiss’ sword sticking through the butler’s gut. Weiss clutched her stomach, blood dripping over her fingers, still connected to her drudge, struggling against the Taurus drudges that held her back.

“ _KLEIN!_ ” She screamed for the dying man, but he was powerless to stop himself from bleeding out as Whitley cruelly twisted the sword and pulled it out, letting Klein drop forward.

“I came to the same conclusion that you did- that I needed to take back what was mine.” Whitley sneered at Weiss. “But unlike you, I’m the eldest now, and I’m also the only son _and_ the only human.” He smiled cruelly. “The throne is mine, dear sister. Everything you’ve done means nothing, and now, _you’re_ the one who’s all alone,” Whitley explained. “I’ve met with the vampire queen, and she happens to find me _quite_ charming. Can you say the same? I also have the support of several key noble houses who are unhappy with the Ironwood reign.” He laughed and kicked Klein’s stab wound, causing both drudge and vampiress to cough up blood. “You backed the wrong horse, you old fool. Now you can die like the scum you are.”

“ _DON’T YOU DARE!_ ” With a fit of rage, she pushed the two drudges holding her off in opposite directions, each leaving a crater of impact in the walls where they landed. She snarled and rushed forward, ripping her hand directly into Whitley’s stomach.

Whitley cried out, staring down at his sister’s hand in his stomach. “W- Weiss.. wait… we’re family…” he choked. Weiss screamed and withdrew her hand, covered in blood, causing Whitley to stagger back. The man looked over his shoulder at Adam pleadingly. “Adam… please…”

“I don’t tolerate weakness,” Adam said. So matter-of-fact, as though it hadn’t been a death sentence.

Whitley’s eyes widened, tearing up at rejection from the man he had taken as a lover as he looked back to his furious sister. “Weiss… please…”

Weiss refused to hear him out, not caring about the bloodstains on her snow-white dress as she ripped her brother apart.

Lady Blake turned from the carnage, risking a squeeze to Yang’s forearm. “Please, while they're distracted” she begged. “If you won’t leave on your own, I’ll _make_ you leave, all of you.” Her eyes took the same look as they had earlier, when Adam had arrived, and Yang heard the door open quietly behind her. Ren and Nora marched out, glassy-eyed, each taking one of Yang’s arms.

“Wait, Lady Blake! Don’t do this, I can free you!” Yang begged, tears beginning to fall. “Lady Blake! Please!” But the vampiress turned away, going back to her original position. As the door to the serving room closed behind Yang, the last she saw of Lady Blake was a single tear falling down her beautiful profile.


	45. Ride

Ren and Nora pulled Yang through the serving room, following the rest of the drudges to the dining room and out of the castle through the porch. Yang wanted to fight, but the hands on her arms were gripped firmly. Besides, she had seen Lady Blake, heard her words.

She wanted them to leave.

Yang’s heart ached as she looked over her shoulder at the castle, walking past Lady Blake’s garden of Before the Storm irises, Queen of the Night tulips, and Baccara roses. The group walked around the back of the castle, deserted, and made their way in through the back of the stables. The stalls were filled to the brim, with not just the Belladonna horses, but also the Taurus horses, stomping and snorting at the unfamiliar faces. Standing in the center between the stalls, the drudges came back to themselves, muscles relaxing as Lady Blake’s guidance was released.

“Shit! How could she do this to us? After all we’ve done for her?” Sage cried out, kicking the wood and scaring the large beasts. 

“It’s _because_ of all we’ve done for her,” Velvet said quietly. “She… she wants us to get out, to survive, to not be used by Adam as pawns against her.”

“Well, if she thinks I’m leaving, she’s wrong!” Nora exclaimed, pulling the mace from her belt and stomping to the entrance of the stable. Ren watched her go with a sigh, and as she neared the door, she suddenly stopped. She turned mechanically, face blank, tucking her mace back into her belt, and walked back. After a moment, her usual demeanor returned, and she blinked rapidly.

“Fuck!” She shouted, stomping a foot. “Fuck you, I just wanted to help!” She looked up and shook her fist at the roof.

Ren placed a hand around her waist and drew her close. “She wants what’s best for everyone, and right now, that’s getting away to safety.” He kissed her softly on the forehead. “We can come back for her once Yang has trained her daywalker powers.”

“Well, I don’t know why she sent us here,” Bolin said, running a hand through his hair. “Neptune’s dead, so it’s not like any of us can get the saddles on.”

Yang raised her eyebrows, crossing her arms. “You sure?” She walked over to Neptune’s equipment room. She paused at the doorway, Neptune’s guandao leaning outside the room. She bit her lip and fought back tears, pushing on and grabbing two blankets and two saddles. Walking back out, she surveyed the group.

“Alright, who here can ride?”

\---

Yang was the most experienced rider, followed closely by Velvet. Nora had barely any experience but was incredibly excited to ride, while Ren insisted that letting her have her own horse would be ruinous. Sage had been on a few trail rides with Neptune, and Coco had ridden with Velvet on occasion, leaving Bolin.

The man was _terrified_ of horses.

“They’re not bad, Bolin, trust me,” Yang assured him, attempting to push his hand up to the placid Stormalong, who was eager for attention. “Come on, look how much he wants you to pet him!”

Bolin held his shaking hand back. “No thanks, I’ll walk. They’re big and scary and temperamental. What would they do if they saw grimm?”

“Stormalong’s not afraid of grimm,” Sage said, patting the massive steed’s neck. “Neptune was always sure to protect the horses. Especially his own.” Sage’s dark hand lingered as he stared at his friend’s horse, then her turned to Bolin. “It’s not like you’ll have to ride alone. I’ll ride with you, and Stormalong is very calm. There’s nothing to worry about, I promise.”

Bolin didn’t look convinced, but he didn’t have much of a choice- it was ride with Sage or walk. He sighed. “I still don’t trust horses,” he seethed.

“You don’t have to ride again after this,” Yang promised. “Just do this once. It’ll be a learning experience.”

Shadow was saddled up for Yang, while Winter held Coco and Ren. Nora and Velvet rode on Lady Blake’s horse, a grey mare named North Wind, leaving Bolin and Sage. 

“Great! Just sit on the pillion and hold on tight to Sage and you’ll be fine.” Yang instructed, waving an arm at Coco and Ren to show the proper way for a passenger to sit. Sage mounted first, a little shakier than Yang would have hoped, and Yang guided Bolin up behind him. “Keep on going, you’re doing great! Just like that!” Bolin’s grip around Sage was tight, his knuckles white with fear, but he was on the horse.

“Great! Now let me just…” Yang moved toward Shadow, grabbing his reigns, when the doors to the barn opened. Two of the Taurus drudges stood at the entrance, staring at the Belladonna drudges. The Belladonna drudges stared back from their horses. The moment was quiet.

“Go! Now!” Yang snapped back into the present, pushing her foot into the stirrup and hoisting herself up as quickly as humanly possible, urging her companions out. “Quickly!”

Velvet was the fastest, despite being side-saddle, Nora on the pillion pad behind her. Nora managed to smack one of the Taurus guards with her mace on the way out, laughing over her shoulder as Coco and Ren followed behind. Sage managed to get Stormalong going in a canter, and Yang urged Shadow out of the barn, reaching down to grab Neptune's weapon as she passed.

“Come on, faster!” Yang shouted to Sage. “We’ve gotta go!”

“Please, don’t make him go faster!” Bolin cried. “We’re going too fast already!”

Yang looked ahead to the courtyard, where North Wind had already cleared the castle grounds and Winter was close behind. The Taurus guards were scrambling to block the exit and close the gate.

“We can slow down once we’re clear!” Yang promised, blocking a strike with her guandao. “First, we _have_ to get out of here! It’s what Lady Blake wanted!”

Sage nodded and urged Stormalong on, leaving Yang and Shadow in the rear. ‘ _At least if I’m left behind, he can’t use me against her,_ ’ Yang thought. ‘ _I’m not her drudge, and he doesn’t know that I’m a daywalker._ ’ She looked down at her regrown right arm. ‘ _Then again, he might figure that out_.’

She pushed forward, dodging around guards, striking when she could, eyes on the gates. She watched, satisfied, as Sage and Bolin made it through. Just one left. As she neared the closing gates, a stocky guard planted himself between them, blocking her.

“Get ready to jump, Shadow!” Yang encouraged. Shadow snorted, and as the pair drew closer, Yang felt him build tension in his hindquarters, preparing. She smirked at the Taurus guard as Shadow jumped clear over him, out into the path, to freedom.

\---

“So where are we going?” Velvet asked, meeting up a safe distance away. “I haven’t been outside of the castle in almost a century, and I barely remember the road.”

“We’re going to see my mother,” Yang explained. “I need to train with Amber.”

“But… None of us knows where she lives.” Ren pointed out. “None of us have ever been to her home, since Lady Blake rarely leaves.”

“Besides, I thought she moved around fairly frequently,” Bolin added, still clutching Sage for dear life.

“And the Taurus guards might come after us,” Coco looked over her shoulder, back the way they had come.

“That’s fine, I know someone who does know where she lives. And we won’t be taking this path.” Yang led the group on for a bit, then stopped them at a downed tree leading into a hidden, hardly-used path.

“This is the path,” Yang said. “The path back home.” She sat for a moment, then squeezed her legs, and Shadow moved on.


	46. The Castle's Effects

Coming back through the path was an odd feeling for Yang. This was the path that had changed the course of her life not too long ago- a simple path, made by Ruby following Gambol. Riding back, Yang felt like a soldier, returning home after spending time on the battlefield. The Yang that had ridden this path before no longer existed.

After a half hour, the sun began to peek over the horizon, and the group came upon Yang’s resting place at the Penumbra. Yang was the only one in the group who was used to riding for extended periods of time, and the rest had begun to grow weary. The brief burst of energy Sage had gained from the excitement of escaping had dwindled down to nearly nothing, and the man was sagging in his saddle, still not fully recovered from his blood donation to Yang. Bolin, while not nearly as frightened, still held no love for horses, while the others began to grow despondent, worried for their vampire mistress.

“Let’s stop here for a break,” Yang suggested. “The horses could probably use some water after carrying us for so long.”

The group silently agreed, tired, dismounting and removing bridles before sitting on solid ground. Sage let out a deep sigh and laid down, arm over his face.

“Are you alright?” Yang asked worriedly.

Sage nodded minutely. “I’m just… kind of tired. A lot’s happened. Doesn’t help that you took more blood than Lady Blake usually does.”

Yang blushed. “Sorry,” she hugged her knees close. “I’ll stay away from your neck, I promise.” Sage let out a little laugh, bringing a smile to Yang. “I mean, my dad _has_ told me that I can be a pain in the neck sometimes, _right?_ " Yang’s smile grew as Sage laughed even harder. 

“You stop that.” Coco was huddled up with Velvet, voice deep with fatigue.

“Wow, do my jokes _suck_ that bad?” Yang grinned, Sage barely able to breathe. “Guess they’re just driving everyone _batty_.”

“Oh my _god_ …..” Coco rolled her eyes. “Who are you? Who weren’t like this at the castle!”

Yang paused. “What do you mean?”

“These awful… ‘Jokes’, these _puns_.” Coco waved a hand dismissively. “You weren’t doing this at the castle, while you were training to be a lady. What’s with you now?”

Yang’s eyebrows furrowed. “But… I _always_ make puns…” She thought back to her time in Lady Blake’s charge.

“Coco’s right,” Velvet agreed. “We talked every morning, but you never made puns. You were strictly focused on bettering yourself as a lady.”

“I… I had to have…” Yet as Yang thought back, she couldn’t remember a single instance while she had been in the castle that she had made a pun. “Why? What happened to me?”

“It’s the castle’s magic.” Nora said it so matter-of-factly, out of character for such an exuberant woman. “It held you in what you were supposed to be doing, and washed away the parts of you that weren’t necessary.” Her hands gripped her pink skirt, stained with blood as she stared into the forest. “I guess… You don’t realize until you leave, what parts of you were taken away.”

The group reflected on this, shock and confusion washing over them as they realized that this was indeed true. They were more than drudges, more than maids and housekeepers and cooks. More than a lady-in-training that doesn’t make puns.

Coco looked down at herself, horrified. “Wait… I… I didn’t want these parts of me back.”

Yang looked at the fashionista questioningly. Coco’s voice was deeper than it had been in the castle, and her shoulders were wider, her bust diminished. Her womanly figure was replaced with a lean one similar to that of Ren’s and Sage’s. She stared at herself in horror.

“Coco, the castle’s magic…!” Velvet gasped, and tears began to well in Coco’s eyes. She pushed Velvet away.

“Vel, don’t look at me! Don’t look at me like this!” She sobbed. “I… I need to go back. I can’t live like this again.”

“Coco, you can’t go back.” Velvet scooched closer, taking Coco’s trembling hand. “It’s like you told Yang: It’s hard, but we need to do this for Lady Blake.”

Coco turned on Velvet. “For _Lady Blake_? Vel, I need to go back for _myself_! I can’t look like this!” She pulled her hand back, placing her palms to her face.

Velvet refused to give up, wrapping her partner in a hug. “Coco… I loved you when you first arrived at the old castle.” She stroked Coco’s hair soothingly. “You were like this then. You said you were a woman, and I knew you were. Lady Blake knew you were. Even though your parents dressed you up as a boy and used that old name, we knew.” She gently kissed Coco’s brow. “I loved you then, before the magic showed how you could look. I loved you just the same with the magic, neither more nor less. And I still love you now. I always will, no matter what you look like.” She smiled. “Even when we’re old and grey, and our dresses don’t fit like they used to, and even makeup doesn’t help… I’ll still love you.”

Velvet held Coco tightly, Coco’s tears slowly fading. Nora stepped forward.

“Coco… You taught me how to dress like a woman, how to wear makeup,” the ginger said. “That’s what mothers and aunties do. If Lady Blake is like my mother… Then you’re my aunt. Not my uncle, even now. You’ve been my aunt from the day you took those old rags away and gave me that sparkly pink dress.”

Coco looked up at Nora briefly, then held out an arm. Nora obliged, sitting on her knees, joining the hug pile. Ren came up behind Nora, Bolin behind Coco. Sage sat up with a grunt of effort, then made his way over and joined in. Coco peered out at Yang, who was standing awkwardly by the horses, unsure if she should join.

“Well? After all the times I do your makeup for you, you’re just going to stand there?” Coco sniffed, waving a hand.

Yang smiled and joined in, embracing the group. She hadn’t known Coco’s history, but for the woman to be with Lady Blake, she had figured that she had some sort of family issue. 

The survivors held their hug for a few heartbeats longer, then parted together, seemingly all having gained strength from the embrace.

“Well… where are we going, exactly?” Ren asked Yang after they had all settled into comfortable positions. “You said you knew someone who knew where Raven was, but didn’t elaborate.”

“Right…” Yang ran her hand through her thick hair with a sigh. “So… as it turns out, Raven is actually my mother, and because she was turned into a vampire while pregnant with me, I was born a daywalker instead of a regular human.”

No one spoke for a long moment.

“So… _That’s_ how dhampir are made?” Bolin asked incredulously. “Just… turn a pregnant woman?”

“Well, Ozpin studied it, and apparently that can yield a dhampir, a vampire, _or_ a stillborn.” Yang shrugged. “Anyway, after she had me, she left me on my dad’s doorstep and ran away, and a few years later my dad and her brother, my uncle Qrow, got into a fight. My dad told him to leave and… I guess he became her drudge?” Yang pondered the thought. “I’m not sure when it happened exactly, but my uncle usually visits every six months or so, and he was just there when I came to the castle, so… maybe he’ll still be there, and he can tell us where she is.”

The drudges exchanged a look.

“Well… That might work… Depending on how much time has passed.” Velvet said. “If it hasn’t been too long, and he’s still there… or if he just came back… Then it could work.”

Yang raised an eyebrow in confusion. “What do you mean, how much time has passed?” She began to count on her fingers. “I’ve only been at the castle for… What, 15 days?”

“It may seem that way,” Sage said forlornly. “But the castle may have made time flow differently for you.” He sighed, standing. “Let’s get the horses ready and get back to your home. There’s only one way to find out how long’s it’s actually been.”


	47. Two Weeks

It normally only took Yang a half hour to get back from her reading spot by the Penumbra to the Xiao Long home, but with Sage still weak, it took longer. Shadow was antsy, wanting to go faster, but Yang could only lead the group so quickly. She looked over her shoulder behind her, Sage paler than usual, eyes distant, a cold sweat breaking out.

“We’re almost there,” she promised, nodding to him. He nodded back weakly, Bolin’s grip tightening around his waist. Yang looked back ahead, wanting to speed up, but afraid for Sage.

After nearly an hour, the group broke the treeline, coming out of the exit of Taiyang’s trail, a little way off from the pasture. Yang’s breath caught as she stared, her home bright under the mid-day sun. Crescent looked up at Shadow from the pasture, pawing the ground, and Shadow whinnied excitedly.

Yang didn’t see Zwei or Stark.

She squeezed her legs together, urging Shadow forward to the stable, her companions trotting behind her in a line. It was as if she had never left; the stables were still dusty and warm, the pasture still green and beautiful. Nostalgia panged Yang’s heart as she dismounted, leading Shadow to the pasture's gate.

“So this is your stable, huh?” Sage asked, looking about. Yang nodded, and he smiled forlornly back. “Neptune would have liked it here.”

Yang helped Bolin down from the pillion as the others dismounted, helping Sage down as the green-haired boy leaned heavily on her shoulder.

“Yang? Is that you?”

Yang turned from Sage back to the house, where Ruby stood in the doorway. Her hair was down rather than in the usual twin braids, messier than usual, and she swayed on her feet, pale and tired looking.

“Ruby…” Yang choked up, tears finally coming forth. Ruby cried out and dashed forward into her sister’s arms, and Yang picked the girl up, spinning her around like she had done when Ruby was a little girl.

“Yang! How could you? I thought you said you’d be coming right back!” Ruby sobbed.

“I did, I came back as fast as I could!” Yang squeezed Ruby closer, rubbing her back. “I said I’d come back, and I did, didn’t I?”

“ _Eventually_! Really, why did it take you _two whole months_?”

Yang paused. “It's been two months?”

Ruby pulled back and looked up at her sister, silver eyes wide. “Yes…?”

“It was two weeks for us, in the castle,” Coco explained, butting in. “Time flows differently at the castle.”

Ruby passed Yang an I-told-you-so look before continuing. “So… Why did you stay for so long? What happened? And why are all these people here?”

Yang sighed and hugged Ruby again quickly, then took her hand.

“We should probably sit down and talk.”

\---

The group headed into the Xiao Long home, Sage laying down on the couch that Qrow normally slept on while the rest huddled around the table in the dining room. Yang filled glasses of water for everyone from the well while Ruby made a salad from her early autumn harvest.

“So? What happened?” Ruby asked as they settled down into their meal.

Yang chewed her cabbage thoughtfully, mulling the question over. “Well… I learned a lot about Lady Blake. And myself. And my mother.” Ruby’s eyebrows shot up. “Oh, by the way, I met Raven. She’s not a terrible person, but she’s not mom.”

“I… Do you think you can start from the beginning?” Ruby laughed, shaking her head.

Yang took a drink of her water. “After you left, Lady Blake started to train me as a Lady. I had to learn how to use all those different forks and spoons, and how to sit properly… and she made me ride side-saddle!” Ruby laughed at that. “Then Lady Nikos came with her men, and Weiss…” Yang paused, unsure of how to broach the topic.

Ruby nodded. “I know. Dad begged Lord Nikos to send his men after you, and when Lady Pyrrha came back, she told us what happened.”

Yang sighed. “Yeah… See, that’s… not really what happened. That’s just what Lady Blake made her think happened.” Yang ran a hand through her golden locks. “The castle has ways of making people fixated on a goal, and Lady Pyrrha was overcome by it. It wasn’t a grimm who attacked Weiss.”

Ruby stared at Yang in horror. “You mean… Lady Pyrrha…”

Yang nodded. “Lady Blake had to turn Weiss to save her.”

“... _Turn_ her?” Ruby cocked her head.

“Into a vampire. Lady Blake’s a vampire, we’re her drudges,” Bolin impatiently interjected. “Yang’s a dhampir. Her mom is a vampire and your uncle Qrow is her drudge. Any questions?”

Yang shot Bolin a dirty look, Ruby seeming even more confused. “She’s… a _vampire_? And you are all _what_?” Ruby looked back at Yang. “What did she turn _you_ into?”

Yang sighed. “I’m a dhampir. Basically, Raven was turned into a vampire while she was pregnant with me, so I have the powers of a vampire but not the weaknesses.”

“Except for blood,” Nora chimed in. “She needs to drink blood for her magical daywalker powers to work.”

“Wait, so you drink blood now?” Ruby asked nervously. Yang’s eyes darted to where Sage was resting on the couch, and Ruby’s gaze followed. “So.. You drank his blood?” Ruby turned back to Yang, adjusting in her seat to be a little farther away. “You’re full now right?”

“Yeah! I mean, no, I don’t _need_ blood, so it’s not like how a _vampire_ would get full, but I did drink a little bit of his blood to help us all escape with my powers..” Yang trailed off.

Ruby coughed politely. “Um, so… what were you escaping from? Did Lady Blake turn evil or something?”

“No!” The drudges spoke in unison, still defending their mistress even this far from the castle’s influence.

“She would never do anything to hurt us,” Velvet assured Ruby. “It was… Another vampire. He came for Yang, but Lady Blake refused to sacrifice her.” She laid her head down on Coco’s shoulder with a sigh, closing her eyes mournfully. “It was terrible. We would have been at his mercy without Yang’s and Lady Blake’s help getting away... Not all of us made it.” The drudges were silent, thinking of their fallen comrades.

Ruby nodded. “Alright… So, vampires, dhampires, and drudges.” She slowly scooched her chair back from the table, then looked at Yang.

“Alright, pinch me. I gotta wake up, this is too weird.”


	48. Two Months

“It’s not a dream, Ruby.” Yang reached out and pinched Ruby lightly. “It’s real, see? Vampires are real, dhampir are real, drudges are real. And they’re a real threat. I need you to believe me.”

“Really, Yang? _Vampires_?” Ruby shook her head. “Is this just a joke you’re playing? And you got these people all in on it, too?”

“Vampires are very real, and Adam Taurus is _very_ dangerous.” Ren leaned forward. “We’re not joking, we’re serious. We need Yang’s help, and she needs yours.”

“Why would she need _my_ help? Am I a dhampir too?” Ruby crossed her arms and looked back at Yang.

Yang swallowed. “No, you’re… a witch.”

Ruby froze. “What do you mean, I’m a _witch?_ Witches aren’t real, and neither is magic.”

“Don’t beat around the bush, Ruby. I know since you started reading Summer’s old books you’ve been able to talk to animals and get plants to grow when other people can’t.” Yang stared hard at her sister, who was shifting nervously. “I didn’t realize it at first, but I know now. And it’s okay, I remember Summer saying that not all witches are bad. I know you’re good.”

“Well.. What do you need my help for, anyway?” Ruby shook her head. “I’m… not the best. I’m still learning, and mom’s not here to teach me, so I can only do so much.”

“Actually, I need Qrow. Since he’s Raven’s drudge, he’ll know where she is.” Yang let out a deep breath. “Raven teamed up with a vampire hunter, and I need the hunter to train me so that I can rescue Lady Blake.”

“We need Ruby’s help, too,” Coco interjected. “She’s the one who broke the spells on the castle, so she should be able to fix them, too.”

Ruby tilted her head. “I… broke spells on the castle?”

“Yes, there were spells keeping it hidden,” Velvet explained. “I tried to repair them, but I use a different kind of magic. It’s like getting a carpenter to fix the masonry, I just can’t do it.” She sighed. “All things considered, I think that the protective magic was actually put in place by a Rose a long time ago. If your magic is hereditary, then there should be a spell in your Book of Shadows from when the spell was originally cast.”

Ruby shrugged. “I have all of my mother’s old books, but I’m not sure which spell it would be…”

“I can help you look,” Velvet assured the young witch. “Even though we use different types of magic, I should still be able to help you find it, and maybe even help you cast it.”

“Okay, if you help me, then maybe I can.” Ruby looked back to Yang. “So, what do you need to do? I mean, once you save Lady Blake and I fix the magic on her castle, what happens then?”

Yang blinked.

“I… I guess I still need to figure that out.”

\---

Ruby began poring over her books with Velvet, scouring the pages for the spells pertaining to the castle. Sage finally fell asleep, snoring peacefully, while Bolin slept on a comfortable chair beside him. Coco and Ren started preparing dinner, while Nora eagerly followed Yang out to the pasture to brush the horses and check their hooves for rocks.

At the sound of approaching hooves, Yang turned from North Wind and watched as her father slowly made his way to the stables. He looked exhausted, deep in his thoughts as he ushered Zwei in and dismounted, not realizing Yang and Nora were in the pasture.

“Hi, dad,” Yang called out, watching with amusement as he grunted and nodded, took off Zwei’s bridle, then looked back at Yang with shock.

“ _Yang!_ ”

Yang laughed. “What, I said hi!”

Tai jumped the fence and rushed over to Yang, pulling her in to a hug. “Yang! When did you get back? Why were you gone for so long? What happened? Why didn’t you come right to Lord Nikos’ castle when you got back?” He squeezed her in tightly, cracking Yang’s back.

“Ughhh, dad, let go!” Yang gave him a pat on the back as he loosened his bear hug. “Seriously, are you trying to break me?”

“Yang, please! Why were you gone for so long? What happened?” Tai held Yang at arm’s length. “Are you alright? What happened with the grimm attack when Lady Pyrrha was there?”

Yang took in a deep breath. “Alright… So, I’m okay, nothing happened to me. I’m totally fine. But Lady Blake, the Lady of the castle…” Yang shook her head. “She’s in trouble. I need to talk to Uncle Qrow.”

Taiyang narrowed his eyes. “Qrow? He left a month ago, I have no idea when he’ll be back.”

“Then I’ll go find him,” Yang promised. “Where did he go?”

“Oh, no no no, young missy. You’re not going _anywhere_.” Taiyang crossed his arms. “You just got home, you’re crazy if you think you’re going anywhere any time soon.”

“Dad! I can’t stay here, Lady Blake needs my help-” Taiyang held up his hand, interrupting her.

“You said you would be back that night, and then Ruby comes home a week later without you, saying you’re trapped there by this woman.” He shook his head. “If she’s in trouble, then _good_. She probably deserves it.”

Yang opened her mouth to respond, but Nora interrupted. “She doesn’t deserve this, sir.” Nora said. “I’ll admit, keeping Yang at the castle was odd, but now that we know why, it makes sense. She was just trying to protect Yang. Now she’s in trouble _for_ protecting Yang, and we all want to help.”

Taiayng narrowed his eyes at Nora. “Who are you? Who is ‘we all’?” He looked back to Yang. “What’s going on?”

Yang sighed, running a hand through her hair. “Listen, dad, if they had stayed, they would have been killed. As soon as you tell me where Uncle Qrow is, we’ll all get out of your hair, so-”

“No, Yang! You’re _not_ leaving again!” Taiyang shook his head. “Do you not understand how serious this is? You were missing for _two months_ , and now you want to leave again? _Absolutely not!_ ”

“Dad, you don’t understand, there’s so much going on!” Yang pleaded. “There’s people, bad people, and they want to kill me because I’m a threat just by existing! Lady Blake _was_ protecting me, she _was_ trying to help!”

“Why would they want to kill you? Yang, this is ridiculous. You’re not leaving, and you’re _never_ going to that castle _again_.” Taiyang pointed at Nora. “ _They_ need to go, _without_ you.”

“Dad, just listen-”

“No! You’re not leaving, and that’s _final!_ ” Taiyang huffed.

“Tai, she has to come with me.” Yang and Taiyang turned, watching as Qrow dismounted from Stark. “She found out the truth, there’s no point in lying to her now.” Qrow looked to Yang.

“Your mother asked me to come back and get you.”


	49. Staying or Leaving

Taiyang placed himself in front of Yang, holding his arm out to the side to shield her from Qrow. “She _can’t_ go, she just got home! It’s not safe for her out there, you said so yourself! Isn’t that why she’s been _here_ this entire time?”

“That was then, _before_ the queen found out about her existence. If Adam had just gone on thinking she had died as an infant like Raven told him, then I would agree, but now…” Qrow shook his head. “He’s a day’s ride from here. If he realizes she’s Raven’s child, this will be the first place he’ll check for her. Your best bet is to pretend she was never alive, and that Ruby’s your only daughter.”

“But… I can’t just…” Taiyang gritted his teeth, body trembling. “Yang’s been gone for _two months_. You think I can just let her go again so soon? And to _Raven_ , no less?”

Qrow opened his mouth to respond, but Yang stepped away from the two back toward the house. The arguing men paused and stared.

“You knew… This _whole_ time, you _knew_?” Angry tears began to fall, and Yang felt her face grow hot. “You.. _liar_.”

“Yang, I swear, I didn’t know until Qrow came back after that first year,” Taiayng held up his hands, palms out. “I didn’t want you to know, I just wanted to protect you-”

Her father took a step closer, and Yang let out a cry, wheeling her fist around to connect with his jaw. “YOU _LIAR!_ ” Taiyang stumbled back as Qrow laughed, but Yang turned on him next, jabbing her finger into his chest. “You, _YOU’RE_ a liar too! Don’t think that just because you’re a drudge you’re exempt! Why didn’t _you_ say anything?

Qrow placed a gentle hand on Yang’s wrist, pushing her arm down. “I had to, Raven’s orders. Besides, I agree with Tai. It really was in your best interest.”

Yang snarled and yanked her hand back from her uncle. “You drunk asshole,” she sneered, turning away. “I’ll never trust either of you again.” She stalked back to the house, slamming the door behind her once she was inside. Nora followed a moment later, closing the door quietly behind her, eyebrows raised as she surreptitiously exchanged looks with Ren.

“What was all that yelling about?” Ruby asked, books scattered across the dining room table.

“Just… Dad and Uncle Qrow being stupid and overbearing.” Yang frowned, eyebrows furrowed. “Apparently, they knew that I was a dhampir this _entire_ time and dad even knew where Raven was, but neither of them ever said anything about it!” Yang pulled out a chair across from Ruby and Velvet, looking blankly down at the pages before her. “I just… Don’t understand. Why didn’t they tell me? Why didn’t they _trust_ me?”

Ruby nodded sadly. “Maybe they just didn’t want you to get hurt?”

“Get _hurt?_ ” Yang laughed bitterly. “I’ve already _been_ hurt _because_ of all this. If they had just told me to begin with, then maybe things would have been different. Maybe I would be a better dhampir. Maybe I could have…” A lump rose in Yang’s throat as she thought of Neptune, Arslan, and the others.

“Yang, do you remember the first time Uncle Qrow came home?” Ruby asked.

“Of course, how could I forget?”

Ruby reached across the table and held Yang’s hands in her own. “Dad told you not to leave me by myself because I was too little, so you took me out with you into the forest because you thought you knew where Raven was. We were out almost all day, and then when dark began to fall…”

A chill ran down Yang’s spine as she remembered the day. “The grimm,” she said, and Ruby nodded.

“We were lucky Uncle Qrow had come home that day and found us. If he hadn’t, we wouldn’t be alive today.” Ruby sighed. “I’m not saying that knowing would have changed things, but back then… you were headstrong, and you did what you wanted regardless of consequences.” Ruby paused, then laughed. “Well, I guess you haven’t changed much.”

Yang shrugged. “Yeah, I know, but this is _huge_! They _both_ knew all along, and let me think they were just as lost as I was! I can’t just forgive them for lying to me all these years, Rubes.”

“I’m not saying you have to forgive them, just… Try and see where they were coming from.” Ruby gave Yang’s hands a quick pat before bringing her arms back in. “They weren’t trying to hurt you, they just… didn’t want anything to happen again.”

Yang sighed, bringing her hand up and resting her cheek on her fist. “I guess, but I’m still mad,” she muttered.

“Of course you are,” Ruby laughed as she began closing the books and clearing them from the table for dinner.

“So, what’s the plan?” Coco asked as she set down a giant pot of spaghetti, hot and steamy. “Did your uncle tell you where Raven’s living now?”

“No,” Yang groaned. “I probably should have asked before I yelled at him.” She leaned back and began to slump down in her chair. “He’s going to be _so_ smug when I ask…”

Chef Ren brought a sauce pan full of garlic-and-spice-scented tomato sauce and set it down beside the noodles. “You’ll have to ask anyway,” he said. “We can’t go back to the castle, so the only place we _can_ go is to your mother, and hope she offers all of us the same hospitality she’s offering you.”

Yang nodded silently, staring at the garlic-laden sauce. “I will… Just not right now. I’m still starving.”

“Well, get some plates and set the table so we can eat,” Ruby scolded, picking up her books to take them back to her room. “You didn’t get too used to being waited on at the castle did you?”

“Hey, I grabbed water for everyone earlier!” Yang protested as she backed her chair out. She grabbed a stack of plates and began setting them down on the table when her father and Qrow walked in through the door.

Yang regarded them silently for a moment, then turned back to the table. “Dinner’s ready,” she said evenly, resisting the urge to throw the remainder of the plates at the two.

Taiyang stood dumbfounded. “Did.. Did _you_ cook?” he asked.

“No, they did,” Yang waved a plate at Coco and Ren before setting it down. “Grab some forks, will you?”

“It was our pleasure,” Ren said as he set a bowl of steamed vegetables down on the table. “There’s salad, too, in case you don’t like them cooked. The torte should be done cooling by the time we’re finished eating.”

Taiyang gawked at the table, then placed a hand on Ren’s shoulder. “You… You can stay as long as you like,” he said, nearly moved to tears.

“Hey, I helped!” Coco called, pulling the torte from the oven.

“You can stay too,” Taiyang laughed.

“What this about who can stay?” Yang asked suspiciously.

Taiyang and Qrow exchanged a glance, then looked to Yang. “Well, Qrow and I talked it over after you… left… and after what he’s told me about this Taurus vampire, I think he’s right. I loathe to admit it, but… home may not be the safest place for you right now.”

“I know you’re upset and you don’t want to come with me, but Raven has a friend who’s a vampire huntress who can teach you how to use your skills.” Qrow sighed, running a hand through his hair. “I know I hurt you by keeping the truth from you, and I’m sorry for that, but can you please trust me this time?”

Yang stared into his pleading eyes for a moment before faking a sigh and rolling her eyes, inwardly happy to not have to beg for her mother’s location.

“Fine, I guess if it’s the best option.”


	50. Making Plans

Yang finished setting the table as Ruby and Velvet came back from Ruby’s room and Ren laid the bowl of salad down on the table. Bolin gently woke Sage, leading the tired man to the table as the group sat down to eat and to discuss their plans.

“Here, have lots of salad,” Nora said peppily as she served him a heaving bowlful. “Spinach is good for when you get drained.”

“When you get drained, huh?” Qrow commented, looking at Yang suspiciously.

“She helped us get out, that’s all that matters.” Sage muttered as he stabbed his salad with his fork.

“What exactly happened in there?” Taiyang asked, passing the noddles after spooning some onto his plate. “You all said that this Taurus person is bad, but you never said _why_ , and never said what he did.”

“He tried to kill Yang, tried to kill us.” Ren said flatly. “In fact, he _did_ succeed in the latter. That’s why there’s so few of us here.”

Qrow sighed deeply. “That stable boy, with the blue hair…” He looked around the table. “Is he… alright?”

The survivors were quiet for a moment.

“He was murdered,” Sage said finally. “He claimed to be the daywalker, to try and save Yang. To save _all_ of us.” He shook his head. “Taurus killed him, then told him his sacrifice was in vain since he already knew the daywalker was a blonde girl.”

“How did you make it out alive then, if he knew you’re blonde?” Ruby asked Yang.

“Arslan. She is… She was also a blonde.” Yang swallowed. “She pretended to be me. And she got stabbed in the back for it.”

“Who else was murdered?” Qrow asked.

“Nadir and Reese. They didn’t even _do_ anything.” Bolin shook his head.

Velvet placed a hand on Coco’s shoulder. “Yatsuhashi… Scarlet, too.” Velvet teared up. “Klein.”

“ _Klein_?” Qrow seemed taken aback. “But he’s so old! Why would this Taurus vampire bother?”

“It wasn’t Taurus, it was his drudge.” Coco explained. “Whitley Schnee. Weiss’ older… Weiss’ _younger_ brother, technically. He was angry that Klein saved Weiss instead of him, and killed Klein to get back at both Klein and Weiss.”

“Wait… _Schnee_?” Taiyang looked to Qrow, then to Yang. “You mean _Schnee_ Schnee?”

“Yes, _those_ Schnees.” Yang nodded. “Lady Blake was helping Weiss, training her as a lady, so that one day she could take back the throne from the Ironwoods.”

Taiyang sat back in his chair, staring hard. “That’s… she was planning a _coup_? Against the _Ironwoods_? Why?”

“Listen, Tai, there’s a lot about the first King Ironwood that’s not in the history books.” Qrow gave him a pointed look. “They tried to keep the Third Crusade under wraps so that us common folk wouldn’t revolt. I know Jacques Schnee wasn’t the best king, but as far as I’m concerned, his daughter has more right to the throne than the son of that scheming Ironwood.”

“Wait, the Third Crusade?” Yang thought back to her days at the castle, remembering a book by Ozpin on the subject. She hadn’t read it then, and now she wished she had. “What _is_ the third crusade? What happened? Why is the first Ironwood so bad?”

“The Third Crusade is a conspiracy theory, nothing more.” Taiyang glared at Qrow. “Besides, we could be arrested for speaking of it. Why do you think there’s no books on it?”

“Just because Tukson doesn’t have any books for sale about it doesn’t mean there aren’t any books about it,” Yang countered. “Maybe a researcher found out the truth and wrote a book on it, but only made a limited number of copies, only giving the books to those he trusted?”

Both Qrow and Taiyang stared at Yang. “That’s… Oddly specific,” Qrow commented. “If there were such a researcher, who would it be?”

“Oh, please,” Taiyang interrupted. “If there _were_ a book like that that Yang had had access to, you think she wouldn’t have read it?” He shook his head. “There’s no such book, so there’s no point in discussing it. Now, what _really_ matters is what you are all planning on doing for now.”

Yang opened her mouth to bring up the Third Crusade, then closed it again. If Qrow was going to take her to Raven, she could ask him about it then without her dad interrupting. “Well, Qrow’s going to take me to my mother, so that Amber can train me.”

“Yes, but what about everyone else?” Taiyang gestured around the table. “There’s only three spare horses; you don’t expect them all to double up, do you?”

Yang leaned back, brow furrowed. She hadn’t thought about that, but of course her father was right. The horses had been tired after taking them from Lady Blake’s castle back home, so there was no way they would manage all the way to Raven’s home.

“I think Sage should stay here,” Coco suggested. The group looked at the green-haired man, still tired, barely half his salad eaten. “He did lose a lot of blood, and it might take him some time to recover. He shouldn’t be doing much for at least another week.”

“I can stay with him,” Bolin said quickly. “I mean, someone should look after him, right? It’s not because I still don’t like riding horses, but…” He nervously looked over his shoulder, out the window to the pasture. “Well, that might be part of it.”

“Well, like I said, I’d be happy if _he_ stayed.” Taiyang gestured to Ren. “He can stay as long as he wants, provided he cooks.”

“I don’t mind staying or leaving, it makes no difference to me,” Ren said. “But I’m going if Nora does.”

All eyes turned to Nora.

“Well… I was thinking, Weiss still needs to gain support from the Lords, right?” She looked up. “Maybe if Ren and I stay, we can go to the Lords and try to gain support on her behalf. I mean, once the queen is dead, she’ll be a human again, so there’s no reason they wouldn’t support her if they supported Whitley and they find out that he’s dead now, right? The others who didn’t support Whitley probably just didn’t like him, but they’ll probably like Weiss.”

“Makes sense,” Coco nodded. “I guess that means Velvet and I will go with Yang. That sound okay, Vel?”

Velvet paused, looking at Ruby. “I… I wanted to stay, to help Ruby, but I suppose.” She smiled sadly. “Maybe another time, darling.”

“Wait, what if I come with you?” Ruby asked. “Then you can teach me while this huntress is teaching Yang! That would work out, right?”

“No, Ruby,” Taiyang leaned forward. “I just got Yang back and now I have to let her go again. Now _you_ want to leave too?” He shook his head. “No, absolutely not. You’re not going anywhere.”

“But dad, I need to-” Ruby protested.

“ _No!_ Ruby, I can’t lose you again! I can’t lose you both again!” He looked between his daughters. “I… I can’t. I’m sorry.”

He stood, backing away from the table, leaving through the back door to the stables.


	51. The Journey Begins

Yang stood up from the table quickly, following her father outside. She understood that he was upset that Ruby would want to leave, too. In fact, Yang didn’t want Ruby anywhere near Raven, or any other vampires. As much as Yang missed her, it was too dangerous for her, and Velvet could always teach her later. But why was her father acting like a child about this?

As the door closed behind her, she took a step, then paused. Taiyang was leaning over the fence to the pasture, shoulders sagging, a pose Yang hadn’t seen since Summer died. She walked over to her father tentatively.

“Hey, dad,” she said quietly.

Taiyang wiped his face quickly, looking away. “Hey.” Yang could see his eyes were red. “Sorry, I just… Got a little wound up in there.”

Yang placed a hand on her dad’s shoulder, and he turned to look at her. His face was strained, more lines on his face than she had remembered. “Dad… I don’t want Ruby to come with me, either,” Yang admitted. “It’s dangerous out there. I’ll back you up on this one.”

“Thanks,” Taiyang laughed half-heartedly. “I just…” He shook his head. “I _just_ got you back, and now I have to let you go again? It’s not fair, Yang. It’s not.” Tears welled in his eyes. “I know I have to let you go, that this is important, but I’m afraid. I don’t want to lose you. Then, hearing that Ruby wanted to leave too… I guess that was just the final straw.”

Yang leaned in and hugged her father tightly. Taiyang squeezed Yang back tightly, holding her close. “No matter where you are, or how old you get, you’ll always be my little girl. My little dragon.”

Yang nodded into her father’s chest. “I know. I always will be, I promise.” She began to tear up as well. “I… I’ll tell Ruby to stay. It’ll be fine.” Taiyang patted her hair. “I’m sorry, dad. I guess I never really apologized, did I? For breaking my promise?”

“What do you mean?” He asked.

“I said that I’d be home that night, and that I’d bring Ruby with me. I wasn’t. I’m sorry.” Yang trembled. “I’m so sorry, dad. I really wanted to… But being there, at that castle, it _does_ things to you. It messes with your mind.” Tears streamed down her face. “I just… I… I _forgot_ that I had to come home, that I had more important things to do.” She shook her head. “I won’t anymore. Once I rescue Lady Blake, I’ll come straight home.”

Taiyang laughed. “Is that another promise, ready for the breaking?”

Yang shoved her father. “No, dad, I’m serious. I really am sorry about worrying you, but I’ll be more careful this time, okay?”

Taiyang smiled.

“Alright, Yang. I trust you.”

\---

Ruby argued, begged, and pleaded, but Yang stood firm. She was _not_ coming with them to Raven’s. Besides, Qrow wasn’t too keen on bringing her along either, and as Velvet gently put it, it would be best for an untrained witch to stay away from a potential battlefield. Eventually, Ruby relented.

The next morning, after Ren and Nora cooked breakfast and Taiyang headed off to Lord Nikos’, Yang prepared to leave. Her riding gear was all at castle belladonna, but she at least had old riding boots and pants that still fit. After packing Shadow’s saddlebag with the essentials, she set off with Coco and Velvet, with Qrow leading the way.

Qrow led the group west, out from the rolling valleys and forests and toward the mountains. Just before sunset, they made it through the forest and into a small town, where Qrow frequently stopped for the night on his way to Raven.

“Here’s the inn I usually stay at,” Qrow said, gesturing to a homey-looking location. “Wait till you see how short the innkeeper’s skirt is.”

Yang laughed and smacked her uncle lightly, dismounting from Shadow. “Don’t be a creepy old man, Unlce Qrow!”

“Don’t call me old!” Qrow shot back with an easy grin.

Qrow, Yang, Coco, and Velvet led their horses to the stables attached to the inn. “Five horses?” the stableboy asked, counting them each.

Qrow nodded, handing over Stark’s reigns, then stopped, shaking his head. “No, four.”

The stableboy looked at the group, counting aloud as he pointed to each horse. “One…” Stark. “two…” Shadow. “three…” North Wind. “four…” Winter. “five.” Crescent.

“ _Ruby?_ ” Qrow sputtered. “What- Why- _Ruby!_ ”

Ruby let out a small sound of embarrassment, hiding behind Crescent. “I’m sorry, I couldn’t just stay behind!”

Qrow sighed and turned to the stableboy. “Yes, five horses. Sorry.”

“Ruby, what have you done? This is going to _kill_ dad!” Yang grabbed Ruby by the shoulders. “Why did you come?”

Ruby straightened, looking her sister in the eyes. “Because, I want to help. And I need to learn.” She nodded to Velvet briefly. “Besides, Nora said you’d probably need me, but that you wouldn’t admit it.”

“ _Nora_ said that?” Yang asked, confused.

“Nora’s more perceptive than you’d think,” Coco interjected. “Besides, I think she’s right. I didn’t want to get in the middle of family business, but I do see value in her coming with us. Back at the castle, Velvet said that you sometimes talked in your sleep, saying Ruby’s name. Maybe you need to spend some time with her.” Coco rubbed her arms absently while Velvet shrugged sheepishly.. “Besides, if she can fix the magic on Lady Belladonna’s castle, then the sooner she learns, the better.”

“Aww, Yang, you cried in your sleep for me?” Ruby hugged Yang. “I missed you too, big sis!”

“That’s not the point, Ruby!” Yang said, untangling herself from the hug. “Did you know dad was _crying_ when he walked out at dinner last night? _That’s_ how upset the thought of you leaving made him! He said he’s already afraid of losing me, so where does that leave you?”

Ruby hung her head. “I… I’m sorry. I just wanted to help.”

Qrow crossed his arms. “There’s nothing to be done about it tonight. Let’s get inside and get some rest. We’ll figure out where to go from here after dinner. Sound fair?”

Ruby and Yang exchanged looks, then nodded.


	52. Ruby's Path

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry this took so long, I'm in a medical program and I have a shit ton of homework. I changed things around and re-wrote the tail end of the story, and my fingers are crossed that this'll be better than what I originally had planned. Hopefully the ending will be worth the wait!

After getting their horses settled in the stable, the group headed inside to the tavern. Qrow went to the bar to secure two rooms for the night, along with their dinners, while the women found a table with five chairs.

“So, Ruby,” Yang started, eyeing her sister. “Tomorrow morning, you’re going to go home, and apologize to dad for worrying him.”

Ruby shook her head. “I came because Nora said you’d need me, and Coco said so too. While this friend of Raven’s is training you, Velvet can train me. Then we can work together to rescue Lady Blake!”

“I hate to do this, Miss Xiao Long, but I think two witches are better than one as well.” Velvet agreed. “It’s going to take some time for your training, so Ruby might as well learn during this time as well.”

Qrow finished at the bar and came to the table, sitting between Ruby and Yang. “All right, we’ve got rooms and dinner’s on its way, ladies.”

“Uncle Qrow, help me out here.” Yang pleaded. “Now Ruby, Coco, _and_ Velvet are ganging up on me.”

“Well, I understand what you mean, that Taiyang will be very upset with Ruby over this.” He looked to his younger niece. “However, she’ll be a great help against Adam and the Queen, so as long as she’s prepared to handle your dad being upset with her, I’m not going to send her home.”

Yang’s jaw dropped as Ruby let out a squee and hugged their uncle. “But Uncle Qrow! It’s dangerous! People have been _murdered_ by this man!” Yang argued.

“I know. Ruby knows. We all know,” Qrow said. “That’s why we _need_ her. The Rose witches are very powerful, and she could very well be able to restore the fading magic of Castle Belladonna, which is capable of destroying unwanted intruders. You might not even have to fight the Queen if Ruby can restore the castle’s magic.”

Yang sat back in her chair. “You mean to tell me that the castle’s magic has that much potential?” She shook her head. “Then why did Lady Blake give Ruby up for me when Ruby could have fixed everything?”

“Well, you two are sisters, and Lady Blake didn’t know that your matriarchal line differed…” Velvet explained. “She didn’t realize that you’re not a witch until well after Ruby had already gone.”

“Besides, at that point, she was too… _into_ you, especially knowing that you’re a dhampir.” Coco added.

Yang’s heart skipped a beat. “What do you mean, ‘into’ me?” Coco and Velvet exchanged a knowing look, but said nothing, earning a frown from Yang.

“Regardless, Ruby’s with us already,” Qrow said, changing the subject. “Might as well make the most of it, as we don’t have time to turn around and take her back.”

Yang glared at Ruby for a moment, then sighed. “Fine, since you all think it’s okay for her to be here.” Ruby pumped a fist into the air in victory, but Yang interrupted her with a stern finger. “ _But_ , if things get too dangerous, you’re going home.”

“Alright,” Ruby agreed with a determined nod as a waitress began to set plates down on the table.

“Let’s eat quick and then head to bed,” Qrow suggested. “We’ll wake up early tomorrow morning and continue on.”

\---

“I don’t understand why you had to sneak out,” Yang said bitterly, washing her face in the room’s dirty mirror. “You know dad’s going to be extremely upset with you because of this, right?”

“Well, good thing you’re bitching me out now. By the time you finally shut up, I’ll be ready to face dad.” Ruby stuck her tongue out over her shoulder, pulling one of Summer’s book out from her bag.

Yang narrowed her eyes at Ruby, briefly entertaining the thought of grabbing a pillow to throw.

“Listen, Nora seemed insistent that I come with you. That’s why I came. I’m not trying to upset dad, I just want to help.” Ruby sighed. “You can be mad at me for as long as you want, but you have no idea how it feels to have a part of your past taken away for years and years, then to have it dangled in front of you for a moment, just to be snatched away again.”

“Oh, are you quite sure about that?” Yang focused on the thought of drinking blood, causing her fangs to extend in a sneer flashed to Ruby. “Tell me _all_ about it, since I have _no_ idea.”

“Hey, I didn’t mean…” Ruby sighed. “Alright, you got me there. But that just means that you _should_ understand! I mean, c’mon Yang! You get to go learn how to be a proper dhampir, why can’t I learn to be a proper witch?”

Yang groaned. Ruby was right in that aspect, at least.

“I need this, Yang,” Ruby said softly, clutching Summer’s book tight to her chest. “Mom died without teaching me anything, with barely hints. She was probably going to tell me when I got older but…” a tear rolled down her cheek. “Velvet’s all I have right now, the only connection to mom.” She turned to Yang, eyes pleading. “Please, just let me do this in peace. I _need_ this.”

Yang stared into Ruby’s eyes, and her heart softened slightly. Ruby’s puppy-dog eyes were a magic of their own. “Fine,” Yang conceded. “But what I said about if things get dangerous still stands. I can’t lose you, Ruby. _Dad_ can’t lose you, after losing mom and Raven both.”

Ruby shook her head. “He can’t lose you, either, but you’re still walking into the fire.”

“I’ll be fine, daywalkers are practically immortal,” Yang lied. “As long as I can drink blood, I’ll recover from any injury.” She grinned and patted her right arm.

Ruby chewed her bottom lip, then nodded. “Alright, then I guess you’ll just have to keep me safe, sis.”

“Trust me, I will.” Yang agreed.

‘ _Even if it costs me my life,’_ Yang promised silently.

\---

Qrow banged on the door just after sunrise, stirring Yang from another Ursa-strewn nightmare. She shook her head groggily, still not quite used to sleeping during the night and waking during the day after her weeks at Castle Belladonna. She sighed as she grabbed her brush and began working on her hair, trying to push the dredges of her dream from her mind while Ruby yawned in bed beside her.

“I think Lady Blake had it right, sleeping during the day and staying awake at night,” Yang said softly to Ruby. “When I sleep during the day, I have good dreams, but during the night…”

Ruby slid to the side of the bed, beside Yang. “The one about the Ursa again?”

Yang nodded. “I don’t know if I’ll ever be able to sleep at night again,” Yang confessed, thinking back to the night Weiss saved her from the Ursa and the pack of Beowolves. “Every night, they come after me, but Weiss is too far away, and she can’t hear me.”

Ruby leaned into Yang, resting her head on Yang’s shoulder. “Lots of people have bad dreams after something bad happens. Remember when mom died, the dreams I had?” Yang nodded. “I still have those dreams sometimes. Not often, but enough to remind me that’s she’s never coming back.”

The sisters stared out the window, watching the sun creep higher.


	53. Raven's Manor

The group trudged on for five more days, camping with other groups heading in the same direction. Yang’s dreams woke her in a cold sweat, the eyes of grimm watching her during the night. There were enough people to keep the grimm away, and the bonfire burned through the night, but Yang could still sense the monsters in the surrounding area. She did not sleep well.

On the fifth day, Qrow lead the group into a small, quiet village at the base of the western mountains, about 150 miles west of Patch. 

“Here we are,” Qrow swept his arm out, as if presenting the grey village. “All that’s left of Mountain Glenn. Raven lives in the north part of town.”

“Mountain… Glenn?” Yang asked, remembering the stack of books penned by Ozpin.

“Yeah. This is where the first King Ironwood made his deal with the Polendinas to take the throne from the Schnees.” Qrow shook his head sadly. “Nearly wiped the city off the map.”

“So… What exactly _happened_? What was the Third Crusade? What is Mountain Glenn?” Yang questioned.

“Listen, I promise I’ll explain it all, but…” Qrow’s gaze shifted about the barren village. “Not out here. Wait until we get to your mother’s.”

Yang looked around, following Qrow’s gaze, noticing locals staring with hard eyes. An elderly man inclined his head slightly to Qrow as he trotted past on his own horse, but eyed the rest of the group with a wary look.

Yang shrugged it off. Travelers to Patch weren’t very common, but their welcome wouldn’t be much warmer in her hometown.

Qrow lead them through the village, following the main road north, into a darker part of the town hidden in the mountain’s shadow. He stopped at the gates to a small manor, fenced in a large plot of land, hidden from nearby chattels by rampant landscaping. Qrow dismounted from Stark, reaching beneath his shirt to procure a key on a necklace. He opened the gate with a rusty screech, making sure to lock the gate again once everyone was through.

“Well, Raven must not like people much, huh?” Yang grinned, dismounting.

“It’s not that _she_ doesn’t like _them_ ,” Qrow sighed. “They might not know exactly what she is, but they do know that if someone comes here, they’re not likely to come back out. The lock is for everyone’s protection.”

“So, that old man we rode past earlier who was staring us down…?” Ruby inquired.

Qrow shrugged. “Might have thought you were more of the same. Might have thought you were sacrificial lambs, to be presented for slaughter.”

Yang shuddered at the thought of Qrow bringing victims to her mother. “You don’t… bring _food_ for her, do you?”

“What?” Qrow laughed. “Hell no. Junior’s a big man, so she mostly feeds off of him. Besides, she’s got those twins, too, if Junior’s low on blood.”

“QROW!” Yang’s head jerked up with a start, to the side of the manor. A burly man stared back, arms crossed. He was dressed similarly to Klein, with a crisp white shirt, black vest and trousers, and a red tie, though he was much larger and far more intimidating. Rather than the white gloves of a butler, he wore black gloves, matching his thick beard.

“Hey, Junior! How’s life with my wonderful sister?” Qrow grinned devilishly, leading Stark over to the man.

“Cut the crap, Qrow. Who are all these humans? Why are you back now?”

“Well, if you _must_ know,” Qrow handed his reigns over to Junior. “These are my nieces and two of Belladonna’s drudges.”

Junior narrowed his eyes at the group. “ _Belladonna’s_? I thought she wasn’t having it with Raven’s gambit.”

“She’s in trouble,” Yang explained, stepping forward. “Adam Taurus came to her castle, wanting to kill me. She refused to give me up, and now… Now, she’s trapped.”

“That Taurus asshole wanted to kill you?” Junior sized Yang up. “Then you must be Raven’s daughter, Yang.” Yang nodded. “Well, I’m sure your mother will be _thrilled_ to see you. Head on inside, I’ll stable the horses.”

Yang, Ruby, Coco, and Velvet handed over their reigns in turn, then followed Qrow as he opened the side door for the ladies.

“Here we are, Castle Branwen,” Qrow said as the group walked into the kitchen. “Not as fancy as Castle Belladonna, but we make do.”

While the exterior of the manor would indicate a decrepit interior, the manor was surprisingly well-kept. The kitchen housed a stack of dirty dishes, an old wooden table with comfortable-looking chairs, and well-loved spice racks, but seemed to be an organized chaos.

“Well, well, well, look who it is.”

Yang turned to the voice, surprised to see Amber leaning in the doorway. “Oh, it’s you.” She stood awkwardly, watching as Amber looked about the group, taking each member in. “We came to join you and Raven. I need you to train me.”

Amber raised a single eyebrow with a grin. “I knew you’d come.” She looked over Yang’s shoulder to Velvet and Coco. “Those two, though, I didn’t expect. What’s the deal?”

“Taurus,” Qrow explained. “He showed up at Belladonna’s lair, killed a bunch of the drudges. Only six survived, not including Yang.”

Ambers eyebrows rose at the news. “That’s… awful.” She shook her head, looking to Yang. “You didn’t do anything about him?”

“I… I mean, I _tried_ , but…” She rubbed her right arm. “He was a lot stronger than me. That’s why I’m here, I need your help. I need to take him down and rescue Blake. Once she’s safe, I’ll help you kill the queen.”

Amber smiled. “Well, I’m glad you came around. I’ll have you whipped up in vampire-slaying shape in no time at all.”

\---

The ladies settled in to the spare room while Qrow fixed his own up, having been gone for a while. Raven’s two female drudges, Melanie and Miltia, shooed Velvet out of the kitchen, refusing to let the Belladonna maid assist with cooking. Velvet paced in the spare room, between the two large beds, unused to being served.

“Maybe I can just make tea?” She suggested.

“Vel, you’re a guest. Just sit down,” Coco said from her and Velvet’s bed, sewing a tear in one of Yang’s shirts. “Why don’t you help Ruby with her magic?”

Ruby looked up from the second bed, where she and Yang were looking at one of Summer’s books. “I’m halfway through the second one, so you could start on the third one,” Ruby said, reaching in her book bag.

“Isn’t there a faster way to do this?” Yang asked., tired from looking at each individual spell. “I mean, can’t you use magic to search for the spell you need or something?”

“That would be very convenient, if such a spell existed,” Velvet laughed, taking the third book from Ruby. “Once we’re done with this, I’ll see if I can’t try and make one like that.”

“Well, I mean, it’s just irritating that these spells aren’t organized at all,” Yang said. “Look, this page has a spell for extending the harvest and increasing production, but the spell on the next page is how to find out the number of heavy snows you’ll get in the winter!” Yang tapped her finger on the book. “Who wrote these! Why didn’t they group the spells together better!”

Ruby looked down at the book in her hands, eyebrows furrowed. “Actually, Yang… I think they did.” Ruby closed the book and put it away, grabbing another. “Those were all spells about the natural world, for someone who lives in the country.” She opened up the new book. “This book has spells that I’ve never bothered with, because they seem like spells that someone in a castle or a church would use.”

“So… maybe a spell about the magic in Lady Blake’s castle?” Yang asked.

Ruby shrugged. “I don’t know, but if the spells are grouped, then that spell would be in this book or the one I just handed to Velvet.”

Velvet sat down on her bed beside Coco. “Alright. If this spell is here, we’ll find it. And when we do…”

Ruby looked up, meeting Velvet’s gaze with a nod. “We’ll cast it on the manor.”


	54. Reuinion

Dinner was finished immediately after sundown. Qrow called the ladies from their shared room down to the beat-up table in the kitchen, where the Malachite twins had prepared food enough for an army. Yang understood why as soon as Junior began piling his plate high with meat, giving her a challenging glare. 

As Yang sat down between Ruby and Qrow, Raven walked into the kitchen, eyes immediately landing on her daughter. Yang stared back, swallowing a lump in her throat.

“Well, look what the crow dragged in,” Raven mused, turning away and taking a seat across from her brother. “Here I thought that you were done with daywalkers and my plan to take down the Queen.”

Yang’s face grew hot. “Look, I know I _said_ I never wanted to drink blood, and that’s still true. But things happened, and now I can’t go back to the way I was before. I’m sorry that I said those things to you, about you using me just for my powers. But now, I _do_ need them, to save Blake.” She took a deep breath. “I need _you_.”

Raven’s eyebrows rose slightly. “I see, ” she said simply. “And you assume that I would just take you back now, after all the things you said?”

“What do you mean?” Yang asked, confused. “I thought you needed a dhampir.”

“And I have one,” Raven said simply. “And he’s been using his powers nearly his whole life, unlike you.”

Yang stared, not understanding.

“We’re not the only ones who heard what happened to Belladonna,” Amber interjected. “It makes sense, then, that her other friends might rise to her defense.”

Realization dawned on Yang. “You mean… You convinced Ozpin to let you use _Oscar_?”

“Wasn’t that hard, he actually came to us.” Amber shrugged. “Now we have those three, and Neo finally decided to join us, so we have her and her drudges. We were also contacted by two of Neo’s friends, Leonardo and Flynt, who want to join our cause.” She smirked. “Seems the Queen isn’t as popular as she likes to think.”

“So you can go home, back to Taiyang,” Raven said dismissively as she filled her plate with food. “We don’t need you anymore.”

Qrow leaned forward, staring straight at his sister. “Listen, Raven. I know you’re vindictive and you hold grudges. I get it, I’m the same way. We _are_ twins, after all.” He drew his arm forward and pointed at her, accusingly. “But Yang went through Hell and back to come here, to help you. You do _not_ get to turn her away when she’s come this far.” He sat back and reached into his coat for his flask. “Besides, seems like you two could use a little mother-daughter bonding time.”

Yang rolled her eyes, but Raven turned to Yang, face unreadable. 

“You went through all this… For what? Why did you decide to drink blood? Why did you come here?”

Yang placed her left hand on her right arm, staring at the flawless spot where her arm had been cut off. “I can’t leave her. Lady Blake did so much for everyone, and she saved my life. Arlsan saved my life, Neptune tried to. If I don’t do this, they’ll have died for nothing.” She looked up into her mother’s crimson eyes. “I _have_ to save Lady Blake, and turn her human again. That’s all that matters now.”

A small smile crept over Raven’s face. “My, you and Belladonna sure are _close_ now. It was my understanding that you had previously been her _prisoner_. What are you to her now?”

“We’re just….” Yang’s heart sped up. “We’re just friends. I want to help her, that’s what friends do.”

Raven regarded Yang for a moment more, then nodded. “I see. All this for a _friend_.”

“She’s not _forcing_ me to do this, to be here,” Yang said defensively. “I’m here because I _want_ to be here. We _all_ want to be here, to help.”

“That’s not what she meant, but alright,” Amber said sarcastically. Velvet smiled and laid her head on Coco’s shoulder between bites. Yang stared, confused.

“Don’t worry about it, just eat.” Qrow slid a plate in front of her. Yang took a small bite, still unsure of Raven’s meaning.

“You good for training an hour after dinner?” Amber asked after a few moments. “I don’t like training right after a meal, I prefer to give my stomach time to settle.”

“Yeah, sounds good,” Yang nodded.

\---

The air was much cooler at night, leaving goosebumps on Yang’s skin as she and Amber walked to the riding ring behind the manor. The ring was large, sandy, and fenced in, which was perfect for training new riders to get used to horses. Yang hoped it would also be good for training new vampire hunters.

“So, still using fists instead of weapons?” Amber asked, jumping the fence.

“Yeah,” Yang said, following Amber over the fence. “I never got the hang of using a sword or anything, but when I drink blood, I’m way more powerful.”

“Sounds nice,” Amber said with a smile. “But the question is… Are you strong enough when drinking blood to take down _the Queen_?”

“Well, I took out four drudges with no problems, so I’d assume-”

Yang was cut off as a swift kick from Amber sent her flying back.

“ _Never_ assume, Yang!” Amber called out. “It makes an ass out of you and me!”

Yang picked herself up off the ground, a hand on her stomach where she had been kicked. “Alright, noted.”

“Vampires are much more powerful than humans, even drudges.” Amber said, walking over. “Or perhaps _especially_ drudges. Not all vampires treat their drudges the way Belladonna and Ozpin do. They have to be stronger than the combined force of their drudges, or they might be killed by the ones who serve them that wish for freedom.”

Yang nodded. “Alright, that makes sense. But dhampir are supposed to be natural-born vampire hunters, so with some training I should be-”

A twitch in Amber’s stance sent Yang’s palms in front of her stomach, facing out, just in time to catch Amber’s foot as she swung it again.

“Good, you’re learning already,” Amber smiled, pulling her foot back. “Keep this up, you might be able to slay a weak vampire in another year.”

\---

Even after a long, grueling sparring session, Yang’s training wasn’t complete. Once Yang was too tired and beat-up to keep fighting, Amber grabbed a lantern and sat down herself down cross-legged in the ring.

“Sit down, we’re done fighting,” Amber motioned for Yang to sit across from her. “It’s not a trick, we’re going to start learning about vampires themselves.”

Yang sat down wearily, keeping an eye on Amber, but true to her word, the huntress made no move to attack.

“So, let’s start with the Queen. All vampires come from her, after all,” Amber said. “No one knows where she came from or how she came to be, but Ozpin theorizes that vampirism is a blood disease or some sort. He thinks he’ll be able to find out for sure in another few centuries, when technology lets him study blood beyond taste.”

Yang shuddered. “He drinks blood to study it?”

“Well, that’s all he can really do for now. And if a vampire can distinguish taste of human blood from drudge blood from vampire blood, then you should be able to learn as well.” 

“Well, Oscar _did_ say they smelled different… I guess it wouldn’t be odd if they tasted different, too.” Yang said.

“Right. I can’t taste or smell anything, but you and Oscar are _special_ , so you can.” Amber didn’t appear to be hurt by the fact that she didn’t have the daywalker powers, but Yang sensed she was a little jealous. “Anyway, the vampire queen is an evil being, named Salem Tepes. She even _looks_ evil, apparently. All the vampires I’ve actually spoken to instead of slaying on sight say that she’s extremely pale, with red eyes and black sclera. I think Belladonna had a portrait of her in her castle somewhere.”

The image of the red-eyed woman that make Yang’s hairs stand on end. “If she’s the lady in the portrait at Lady Blake’s, then yes, she _does_ look evil.”

Amber nodded. “She’s the one who created the highest ranking of the vampire population, and she’s _also_ responsible for the creation of the grimm.”

“Wait, the _grimm_?” Yang leaned forward. “You mean _she’s_ responsible for all those monsters?”

“If what Ozpin says is correct, then yes, she made them and has complete control over them,” said Amber. “Supposedly she made them a long time ago, before there were any other vampires. Just another power she has that you need to know about.”

Yang nodded. “I was almost killed by an Ursa when I was looking for Ruby, when she first went to Lady Blake’s castle. I only lived because Weiss killed it. To think, that was one of the Queen’s monsters all along…”

“Lucky Weiss was there. To think, a powerful _daywalker_ , nearly killed by a vampire queen’s pet!” Amber snickered.

“Well, I lived,” Yang laughed. “And you can bet I’ll pay her back for that!”


	55. One Month Later

Yang was surrounded. Every angle showed more and more red eyes, staring back from the faces of grimm. Once, she would have been afraid.

Not anymore.

The beowolves came at her, and she took each down with ruthless efficiency, punching and kicking the snapping jaws and swiping claws. She stood, unscathed, as the pack dissolved around her.

Amber would be proud.

Yang stared into the darkness, feeling more eyes on her. Three Ursa lumbered forward, answering the challenge. Yang’s heart sped up as the massive grimm approached, her mouth going dry. But she had to fight.

The first Ursa brought its paws down in a mighty sweep as Yang dodged out of the way, hitting its shoulder. She cried out as the second swiped at her, catching her arm. Blood seeped from three lines on her bicep. Yang turned to the Ursa, punching it square in the jaw, sending it stumbling back a few steps, only to be thrown herself by the third Ursa. The three Ursa came together, cornering Yang, their growls shaking Yang to her core. Yang backed away, hoping to come back to her feet, to get into a defensive position before they struck. She crawled backwards on her rear, using her hands and heels to scoot away, until the abruptly ran into something.

Yang turned her head, looking at a pair of boots. Amber, then, here to help. Yang turned back to the Ursa.

They were gone.

Head spinning, Yang slowly looked back behind her, drawing her gaze up. Adam Taurus stared back down, bringing his hand to his hilt.

Yang spun away bringing her arm up to defend herself, only to realize her right arm was gone. Adam came forward, and all Yang could do was scream.

Yang’s eyes flew open as she bolted upright in the bed with a gasp, her hair plastered to her face with sweat. She breathed heavily for a few moments, eyes adjusting to the low light of early dawn. She looked around to the now-familiar guest room of Raven’s manor, Ruby curled up soundly beside her, Velvet and Coco in the other bed across the room. Yang sighed and drew her knees up, resting her head down and shutting her eyes tightly.

A month after they left Blake’s home, a month after the incident with Adam, and Yang was still having nightmares.

Yang took deep breaths, feeling her heartbeat slow, trying to push the nightmare from her mind. ‘ _Qrow said it’s just trauma, that it will pass,_ ’ Yang assured herself. ‘ _It will pass. I just need to give it time._ ’

Yang slid her legs over the side of bed and stood, stretching out her spine. She rolled the stiffness from her shoulders as she walked, heading through the manor and to the outhouse. As she padded down the stairs to the first floor, she noticed the parlor was dark. Curious, she headed over.

The curtains were closed, but Yang could make out two figures sitting across from each other in the low light.

“You ought to tell her the truth,” a raspy, masculine voice stated flatly, followed by the clinking of glass. Qrow, likely drinking again.

“Don’t tell me how to be a mother,” an exasperated voice responded. Raven, then, arguing with her brother. “I did what I had to do to keep her safe. I won’t apologize for it.”

“You don’t have to apologize to me. You don’t even have to apologize to _her_. But she deserves to know the truth, after all that she’s been through.”

Raven snorted. “She doesn’t need me to spoon feed it to her, she’ll figure it out on her own. Besides, you really think she’d listen to anything I have to say?”

“You’d be surprised,” Qrow said. “She’s an open-minded girl. Even if she doesn’t take it right away, she’d at least think about it, and rationalize it, and realize that you were telling the truth.”

“Fine, then _you_ tell her.” Raven stood. “The sun is rising. I’m going to sleep.”

“Try not to wake up on the wrong side of the coffin tonight,” Qrow called after her with a sarcastic chuckle.

Raven snorted and turned away, toward Yang. She took a step, then stopped, finally noticing her daughter. “How long have you been there?”

“What truth?” Yang demanded. “What do you need to tell me?”

Raven sneered, shouldering her way past Yang. “Nothing, dear daughter. Enjoy the sunshine.”

Yang watched her go, then turned to her uncle. “Well? What is it?”

Qrow let out a heavy sigh, sinking deeper into his seat. “Something that should come from her, and no one else,” he said cryptically. “She’ll tell you eventually, I’m sure of it.”

“But is it important?” Yang asked, taking another step forward. “You made it sound like it’s something that I _need_ to know… Should I be worried? Shouldn’t you just tell me?”

“Yes, it is important,” Qrow laughed. “But it’s important in a way that it can wait until the right time from the right person.”

“So it’s not life-or-death?” Yang clarified.

Qrow took a sip of his drink. “Not for you, no.”

\---

After breakfast was more training with Amber. Yang’s body was getting used to the routine, and she felt stronger than ever. Amber pushed her harder than she could have pushed herself, setting up strength training exercises and building Yang’s endurance in addition to sparring practice. At night, Amber’s lessons on vampire lore taught Yang all she needed to know about her enemies.

“So, what are we doing today?” Yang asked, bringing her left arm across her chest and holding with her right arm to stretch open her shoulder. “Spar, run, spar?”

“I was thinking a hunt,” Amber said, bringing her left heel up to her rear and holding it with her left hand, stretching her leg.

“A hunt?” Yang asked. “Like… hunting _vampires_?”

“No. Grimm.”

Yang shuddered, thinking of her nightmare. “Why? I thought they were just the queen’s pets. Shouldn’t we focus on vampires?”

“The _are_ the queen’s pets, so what do you think is going to happen if we attack her?” Amber asked, raising an eyebrow. “Besides, Coco and Velvet told me that you’re having nightmares. Considering what happened on your way to Belladonna’s and what happened before you left, I think you could benefit from using Grimm as punching bags.” She sent a sideways glance to the beat up sack of straw and sand Yang had been using. “Besides, yours is a little…. Dead.”

Yang let out a deep breath. “Alright. If you think it’ll help, then let’s do it.”


	56. Grimm Hunting

Amber didn’t take out the practice weapons- for the first time, she pulled out real weapons for herself and for Yang. Amber took her staff and gave Yang a pair of heavy gauntlets, but also made sure they both had swords at their hips and knives in their boots and belts, just in case.

“How will we hunt them this time of day?” Yang asked, looking to the sun steadily rising on the horizon.

“Two girls, alone in the woods?” Amber said. “They’ll come, no matter how high the sun is. Just because they prefer to hunt at night doesn’t mean they won’t take down easy prey when they find it during the day.”

Yang gulped. “We’re not easy prey, though… Right?”

Amber grinned, spinning her staff.

“Not at all.”

\---

Amber led Yang through the woods behind the manor, taking her out the back gate and up the mountain. The woods were not unlike the one behind the Xiao Long ranch, which put Yang at ease despite the heavy weight of her gauntlets. Yang smiled, listening to the birdsong and natural noises around her.

“It’s actually… pretty out here,” Yang remarked.

“Of course,” Amber said. “Mountain Glenn used to be a big village, you know. Lots of miners, a few farms. Made for a good community back in the day.”

“Well… What happened?” Yang asked.

“The Third Crusade,” Amber responded bitterly. “The first Ironwood’s ascent to the throne. He joined forces with the Polendinas, and after that, Mount Glenn has never been the same.”

Yang looked around, the woods seeming to get darker. “What… _was_ the Third Crusade? Who were the Polendinas?”

Amber paused, looking about. “I’ll fill you in later,” she promised in a hushed tone. “For now, I think we’ve got what we came for.” Amber lowered herself, bringing her staff out and digging her heels into the ground. Yang followed her gaze, bringing her fists up to a defensive position.

For a moment, there was nothing, no sound of birds chirping. Yang strained her eyes, but she couldn’t see anything. If it weren’t for the unnatural pressing of the woods around her and the absence of natural noises, she wouldn’t notice anything amiss.

A rustling to the left of where she was staring drew her eyes, and a pair of glowing red eyes peered back from the darkness. 

“Get ready,” Amber murmured, adjusting her grip on her staff. A line of sweat trickled down Yang’s back, and she could hear the sound of her own blood pumping in her ears.

Coming out from the shadows, the Beowolf snarled, digging its claws into the trees as it walked forward.

“It’s alone,” Amber whispered, stepping back. “Take it down before it howls for backup.”

Yang nodded, taking a tentative step forward, the Beowolf doing the same. It let out a deep growl, crouching on its haunches, then sprung forward, claws extended, maw gaping open. Yang cried out and swung, heart hammering, her fist connecting with the Beowolf’s head. The grimm spun away, then regained its posture, snarling. It dashed forward again, this time bringing its paw around toward Yang’s head. Yang shot her right hand out, gauntlet catching the claws as she gripped the Beowolf’s wrist. She let out a primal scream as she drove her left fist forward into the creature’s chest, ripping right through. The Beowolf let out a whimper, its physical form slowly dissipating around Yang’s gauntlet.

Yang’s heart was hammering, eyes wide. She did it. She beat it, she killed it, it was dead. She let out a cry of relief, falling to her knees.

Amber strode forward. “Great, you killed _one_. Ready for a real challenge?”

\---

By lunchtime, Yang was exhausted and starving. Amber had made her kill a dozen more Beowolves, once with five at one time, while Amber watched. With each kill, Yang grew more confident in her skills, but hunting grimm was no easy task, even for a daywalker.

“Alright, I guess you’re learning a little,” Amber teased, leading the way back to Raven’s manor. “Maybe you won’t die right away if you try to kill the queen now.”

“Oh, thanks for having so much faith in me,” Yang joked. “I know I’m not as skilled as you, but my odds can’t be that _grimm_ , can they?”

Amber sputtered out a laugh. 

“I mean, they may have numbers when they’re with their pack, but I can still _pack_ a punch of my own, right?” Yang pointed her index fingers at Amber and raised her eyebrows, drawing more laughter.

“Stop that, will you?” Amber begged, wiping away a tear. “We’ve gotta stay vigilant. There could still be grimm out here.”

“Alright, but you’re missing out on some quality puns.” Yang agreed with a chuckle. “Besides, we didn’t run into any grimm around here on the way up the mountain.”

“True, but you can never be too cautious,” Amber said.

As if on cue, Amber paused, looking around. Yang stopped just behind her, waiting.

“What’s up?” She asked.

“Hear that?” Amber pointed up.

Yang followed Amber’s finger, staring above. She didn’t hear or see anything. “No, what do you hear?”

“That’s just it,” Amber whispered back, eyebrows furrowed. “I don’t-”

A roar interrupted the women, both spinning around to their rear. A giant Ursa, bigger than any Yang had ever seen, covered with more bone-like protrusions and spikes than a normal Ursa.

“Holy- What kind of grimm _is_ that?” Yang drew up her fists, staring in horror.

“Back off, it’s an Ursa Major!” Amber said, pushing Yang out of the way. “I’ll take care of this one!”

Yang gladly stepped back, in no rush to fight an Ursa, especially one this large. Amber rushed the beast, smacking it with her staff with several well-practiced maneuvers, fending it off. The Ursa Major shook drew its paws around its face for protection, absorbing the blows as it shook its head. As Amber wheeled her staff around in a large arc, the Ursa swiped its arms out, letting out a mighty roar as it pushed Amber away.

Amber flew several feet, her back hitting a tree with a sickening crunch, then she crumpled to the ground.

“ _AMBER!_ ” Yang cried out, rushing to her mentor’s side. Amber took in a shuddering breath, eyes fluttering. Yang’s head whipped around, her sights set on the Ursa Major.

Yang launched herself forward, leading with her fist. The grimm turned slightly, using its arm to protect its body as Yang pummeled into it. The Ursa brought its opposite arm around with a powerful swing, but Yang reached both hands out, grabbing its paw before the strike could land. She let out an angry cry as she reached her left arm forward to grip the grimm’s bicep, still holding the paw with her right hand, and used all her might to swing the creature over her shoulders, slamming it on the ground behind her.

Without pausing, Yang kicked up from her suplex, jumping onto the Ursa Major’s now exposed stomach, and punched with alternating fists.

“DON’T.” Punch. “HURT.” Punch. “MY.” Punch. “FRIENDS!” With the final blow, she brought her arm around and hit the Ursa’s head with as much strength as she could muster. The blow tore the beast’s head right from its neck, bouncing away, both head and body beginning to fade into oblivion.

Yang crouched, trembling, as the body slowly dissipated, leaving her on the ground. With a shuddering breath, she became acutely aware that her fangs had extended during the fight.

She smelled blood.

She looked down, but couldn’t see any obvious signs of injury. With a start, she looked over to Amber, still on the ground. Her mentor moaned, blood slowly oozing from her nose.

Yang’s stomach growled, and she stalked forward.


	57. Post Hunting Arguments

Yang approached slowly, her senses heightened. Amber was on the ground, head to the side, blood flowing from her nose. She groaned, bringing her arm to her chest beneath her. Yang stood over her, breathing in the scent of her blood.

Amber pushed herself over, rolling onto her side, slowly waking back up. She looked up, noticing Yang.

“Yang…?” She slurred. “The Ursa… Where?”

Yang panted, and Amber’s eyes widened. “Yang,” she said slowly. “Yang, you need to calm down.” Amber looked around, then reached her arm out, hand extending to her staff. “We’re friends, right?”

Yang stared, her stomach rumbling in protest.

Amber’s hand found her staff, closing around the sturdy wood. “Yang, don’t do this,” she hissed. “Fight it. I don’t want to hurt you.”

Still, Yang stared.

Amber wiped the blood from her nose, pushing herself up into a sitting position. “Yang?” Amber stared, watching as Yang’s eyes faded from red to violet.

Yang swayed on her feet. “I… I’m so hungry.” Her eyes watered. “We need to get home, now.”

Amber nodded, using her staff to get to her feet. “We’re not far. Let’s keep moving.”

Yang followed as Amber led the way back to Raven’s manor.

\---

Yang tore into the meal, eating like a ravenous ursa stumbling upon humankind for the first time. Ruby and Qrow watched, confused, while Amber nibbled slowly on her food.

“Did you and Velvet find the right spell yet?” Yang asked between bites. “I know you had it narrowed down to three different ones.”

“Well, now we’ve ruled out one, so it’s between the two,” Ruby said. “The one is a spirit-gaining spell, for places or things that have a lot of memories. You can use the spell to draw the energy and the memories into a spirit of sorts, for the place or thing.”

Yang nodded. “What about the other one?”

Ruby tipped her head to the side. “Well, that one’s more of a binding spell. For something _really_ powerful, not for a human or a vampire. Something stronger.” She shrugged. “I guess we just have to figure out if the castle’s spirit is the castle itself or if it was originally something else.”

“I can’t imagine it would be the second one,” Qrow commented. “If something was really that poweful, would it still be bound to the castle after this long? If the magic really was weakening, it should have been able to break free.”

“Maybe, maybe not” Ruby shrugged again, then looked to Yang. “How was training?”

Yang and Amber exchanged a look. “We went out hunting for grimm. She made me fight all the grimm by myself,” Yang complained. “Really worked up an appetite.”

Qrow sent a sideways glance to Amber. “And that’s all?”

Yang stared down at her food while Amber side eyed her. “Well… There was an Ursa.”

“An Ursa Major,” Amber corrected.

“Right. An Ursa Major.” Yang pushed her food around her plate with her fork. “It hit Amber really, really hard. She went down for a minute, so I took it down.”

“Saved us both,” Amber agreed.

“ _Whoah!_ ” Ruby leaned forward. “You took down an Ursa major _by yourself?_ ”

“Well, I mean, Amber helped,” Yang laughed. “She was taking care of it first, nearly got it even. But then it hit her into the tree.”

“And that’s all?” Qrow pressed.

“I…” Yang shifted her gaze, not wanting to meet her uncle’s eyes. “I went… a little overboard.”

“On the grimm?”

Yang gulped. “At first… But then, my fangs…” She shook her head. “I didn’t do anything, I promise. Amber’s fine.” She looked to her mentor. “Well, aside from getting smacked by the Ursa.”

“And nothing else?” Qrow stared them down.

“Okay, I’ll spill!” Yang leaned back with a sigh. “Amber’s nose was bleeding, and the smell got into my head. But I didn’t do anything! I didn’t feed from her, she’s fine!”

Qrow looked between the two, then leaned back in his chair with a sigh. “I think… you should train with your mother,” he said hesitantly.

Yang’s jaw dropped. “What? Why? She doesn’t want me here, she doesn’t even want me in her grand scheme! Every time she sees me she looks down on me, like I’m not good enough!” Yang crossed her arms with a huff.

“I think you should train with her, too,” Amber said. Yang spun around, hurt that her mentor would betray her so. “Not that I don’t enjoy our training, but you need to keep learning. I can teach you how to hunt vampires, but I can’t show you what fighting a _real_ vampire will be like.” She smiled forlornly. “Besides, I don’t think I’m going to be much for training for the next few days.”

Yang considered it, then sighed. “Alright. I understand where you’re coming from.” She ran a hand through her thick locks. “I guess now the questions is… _Will_ she train me?”

\---

“ _Absolutely not_ ,” Raven snarled, staring Yang down with reproachful red eyes.

“Raven, I don’t want to train with you either, but at least consider the circumstances!” Yang pleaded. “Amber needs to sleep her injuries off, she won’t be able to train me for a few more days. Qrow’s a good fighter, but he’s just a drudge, not a vampire. That leaves you.” Yang put her hands on her hips. “I _need_ to learn how to fight vampires, or this will all be for nothing! What happens if I go up against Adam again and he takes me down in no time because I’m not used to fighting vampires?”

“Here’s an idea, just don’t fight vampires.” Raven hissed. “We don’t need you, we have Ozpin’s child. He’s younger, and he learned earlier. He’ll be _far_ more useful than you could ever be.”

Yang balled her fists at her sides, nails biting into her palms, but Amber spoke up. “Raven, you know I trust you. You know I trust your plan,” she started. “But Yang’s right. I can’t train her like this, and two daywalkers are better than one. Since she’s already here, why not just let her help? She’s ready and willing, which is hard to come by.”

Raven scowled, but seemed to consider it. She looked between the two, then looked to Qrow, who nodded his agreement. Raven sighed, then turned back to Yang. “Training starts after dinner.”

Yang’s face lit up. “I won’t let you down!”

Raven snorted.

“You better not.”

\---

Sparring with Raven was harder than sparring with Amber in certain ways. For one, though Raven wasn’t trained in so many weapons as Amber was, she did know how to wield her sword. Not only that, but she was faster, stronger. Perks of being a vampire, Yang supposed.

“I thought Amber was training you?” Raven taunted, fending Yang off with her sword.

Yang gritted her teeth. “I only _just_ started training, Raven. Unlike Amber, I never had a doting parent to teach me how to fight properly.”

Raven narrowed her eyes with a frown, swinging her sword in a quick arc, feinting as Yang moved her gauntlet to block. “I left to keep _you_ safe,” she growled, thrusting her sword forward to Yang’s shoulder.

Yang smacked it away, spinning and bringing her fist around to where her mother’s head should have been. Raven ducked during Yang’s spin, anticipating her attack and bringing her leg around to sweep Yang’s out from under her. Yang fell with a yelp, rolling away to evade Raven’s sword. “Then why do you act like that!” She yelled, coming to her feet, panting.

“Act like _what?_ ” Raven asked incredulously, moving to a ready stance.

“You know how you act!” Yang kicked off from the ground, coming at her mother from above. Raven brought her sword up, frowning, and Yang saw in the way her back leg tensed that she was going to push Yang’s lead arm away with her sword and knee Yang in the stomach, as she already had done twice. Yang pulled her left shoulder back, ready to sweep out with her left fist, and as expected, Raven’s sword rose to meet her. Yang, undettered, grabbed her mother’s sword in her left hand and pushed her left arm out, leaving Raven open, surprise on her face. Raven’s knee rose, but Yang’s right hand caught Raven’s knee. Raven was trapped.

Or so Yang thought. Raven smirked, wheeling her left arm around to Yang’s throat as Yang slammed into her, spinning Yang beneath her. The breath left Yang’s lungs as Raven slammed her into the ground, foiling her counterattack.

Yang squirmed, pushing at Raven’s hand with her gauntlets, but to no avail. “How exactly do I act, Yang?” Raven asked, leaning over her daughter.

Yang drew in a deep breath. “You just… You act like you don’t want me here. Like I’m a burden. I’m here to help you, but you act like having me here is a hassle. At Lady Blake’s castle, you seemed like you really wanted me, like you wanted to make things up, to be a _family_ again, with me and dad. But now...” Yang drew her knees to her chest, pushing Raven off with her heels. “You pretended to want me, to want to be my mother, and now you’re just pushing me away!”

Raven straightened herself as Yang got to her feet, face hard. “You want to know why I’m pushing you away, Yang?” she asked. “Because this is _dangerous_. You could _die_. I don’t care if Oscar dies, but I do care if you die. Taiyang will care if you die. Your sister will care if you die.” She sheathed her sword. “We’re done for tonight.”

Raven stalked off, back to the manor, while Yang watched. ‘ _Really? You want to pull that ‘caring mother’ charade NOW?_ ’ Yang thought, taking her gauntlets off and throwing them angrily to the ground. ‘ _Like I’d believe that_.’ Yang hopped the fence and followed.

Raven had already went back into the kitchen when Yang paused, looking up to the sky. The moon was a low crescent, stars bright overhead. Yang sighed, searching for something, unsure herself what it was she was looking for. A cool breeze blew her hair about, her bangs flying over her eyes as she stared at the north star. 

‘ _What am I doing?_ ’ Yang stared at the star, shining brighter than all the rest. ‘ _Does this mean anything? Does Lady Blake even care about me? Will it matter to her that I wanted to rescue her?_ ’ the sky distorted as tears sprung to her eyes. ‘ _Can we save her? Can we turn everyone human again? Will any of it matter, if I’m still a daywalker in the end?_ ’ Yang lowered her head and pawed the tears away, moving back to the manor.

She walked in the back door to the kitchen, finding it empty. Confused, she looked around, hearing sound from the parlor. She wandered over, wondering where everyone was.

“We can take our time, I’m sure she’s fine,” Yang heard Qrow say, along with the ruffle of paper. “She even says she’s fine, there’s nothing to worry about.”

“Even still, she _needs_ us!” Velvet exclaimed. “She’s been alone for so long, we need to go to her now!”

Yang rounded the corner, entering the room. Raven and Qrow sat on the loveseat, while Coco and Velvet hovered beside them. Ruby perched in the armchair before Velvet, looking worriedly at the papers in Qrow’s hands. Across the table from Raven and Qrow was the couch, where Ozpin, Glinda, and Oscar sat. Ozpin leaned forward, chin in his hands. In the chair beside them was a dark-skinned man that Yang didn’t recognize, accompanied by a pale ginger girl with a catlike gaze that reminded Yang of Lady Blake.

“Ozpin!” Yang strode forward, drawing the attention of the room. “What are you doing here?”

Ozpin turned to regard Yang, while Oscar sprung from his seat and ran over to his friend. “It’s a letter, from Lady Belladonna!” Oscar exclaimed, giving Yang a tight hug.

“A Letter?” Yang’s heart sped up.

Ozpin stood, reaching out his hand to Qrow. Qrow relinquished the papers, and Ozpin brought them to Yang. “Lady Belladonna sent me this letter,” he explained. “She’s killed Adam Taurus, and taken control of his drudges. She has an army, and she’s ready to help us take down the Queen.”


	58. The Letter

Yang’s world stopped as she clutched the letter in her hands. On the paper, Lady Blake’s loopy, neat script stared back at her.

  
_Dearest Ozpin,_

  
_Adam Taurus is dead. I killed him with my own hands. He had to pay for his sins against me,_  
_those in past and those more recently. I decided to drink him dry, to take all his blood, that_  
_his own drudges may become my own. He has, inadvertently, given me an army which I can_  
_use against the Queen._

_Now, I need you. I need Raven, I need everyone involved in the coup against her. If we all_  
_gather, bring together our combined forces, we can destroy her, and take back our humanity._  
_Please, gather our friends, and bring them to my castle. Here, we will plan our rebellion._  


_Lady Blake of House Belladonna_

Yang’s hand trembled. “We need to go, now!” She looked around. “Adam had so many drudges, how will she be able to keep control over all of them? What if they try to kill her for revenge?”

“I doubt that would happen,” Qrow said dryly. “He wasn’t exactly the best master.”

“No, she has a point,” the dark skinned man pointed out. “He promised his drudges vampirism if they served him well enough. They might be upset now that their chance is gone.”

“I agree with Yang and Flynt,” Velvet said, hands balled up at her sides. “She’s more vulnerable now than ever; what if the Queen finds out before we get there? We can’t just sit here and argue about this while she’s in danger!”

“It would be foolish to rush. What if this is a trap?” Ozpin asked, tapping the head of his cane. “She could have been blackmailed into writing this by Taurus, to lure us out there for him to capture.”

“She would never,” Coco assured, to which Velvet nodded in agreement. “We’re safe, so he has nothing to hold over her.”

“Not to mention, it would be him and his drudges fighting all of us. Yang said most of his forces were slain in his initial attack.” Raven briefly acknowledged her daughter before continuing. “Besides, he’s not clever enough to create a plan like this. Cinder, sure, but not him, and they don’t work together well.”

“What if they _are_ working together, though?” Ruby asked. “Weren’t they supposed to get married?”

“The wedding was a farce, designed by the Queen to stop Adam’s… _habits_ with mortal women,” Ozpin clarified, nodding briefly at Raven. “At least, that’s what I expect, as he’s been relatively docile since their ‘engagement’, and neither has ever particularly liked the other. They’ve always fought each other, vying for her approval.”

“So, it should be safe then, right?” Yang asked.

“Not necessarily,” Qrow shrugged. “I always find that it’s safer to expect the worst when vampires are involved.” He took a swig from his flask. “No offence to present company.”

“Well, then let’s go cautiously!” Yang suggested. “We get there quickly, before the Queen has a chance to find out, but we stop at my dad’s to get the rest of the Belladonna drudges. We go in with weapons, ready for a fight, and when there _isn’t_ one, then we can get to work planning on what we should really be focused on: Killing the Queen!”

“The Queen’s castle is fairly far to the south,” Glynda said, touching Ozpin’s elbow. “If we make haste, regardless of whether it’s a trap or not, we can get there before she sends her own army after us.”

“If we go now, I can strengthen the magic. That will help keep everyone safer,” Ruby said. “Coco and I found two possible spells for the castle’s source of magic, so we’d just need to find out which spell the castle needs, then we can re-cast the spell.”

Qrow sighed, eyeing his younger niece. “You all drive a hard bargain.”

“Well, if we’ll all go in prepared for the worst, then I suppose we’ll be fine.” Ozpin looked to Raven. “Your thoughts?”

Raven was quiet for a long moment. “I had hoped for Amber to train the daywalkers,” she admitted. “But I suppose if haste is needed, then we should leave now.”

“Then it’s settled,” Yang stated. “Let’s leave tomorrow.”

\---

Before the sun set the next night, Raven’s manor was buzzing with activity. Everyone was packing their things for the road, preparing for the journey ahead. The drudges packed and toted bags for their masters. Yang packed her things into her saddle bag, happy to ride with Shadow again. Junior helped take heavier bags to the carriages, designed to keep sunlight out so the vampires could travel safely during the day.

As Yang tied her saddle bag to Shadow’s saddle, she noticed the ginger girl from the previous night. She finished securing her bag, then walked over.

“Hi,” She said. “My name’s Yang. Who are you?”

The ginger turned and looked at Yang critically for a moment, taking in her form. “Neon,” she said after a moment. “Neon Katt. I’m Flynt’s drudge.”

Yang nodded. “I haven’t met you two before, and this is the first time I’ve heard your names.”

“Right,” Neon said, placing a hand on her hip. “Raven’s been trying to get Neo on her side, after learning what the Queen did to Roman. Neo finally decided to join, and told Flynt about it. Flynt’s never been a big fan of Raven, but he trusts Neo well enough.”

“Why doesn’t he like my… Like Raven?”

Neon smirked. “Oh, you know… She’s so dark, so daunting. Never really know what she’s planning.”

With that, Neon walked off, back into the manor through the kitchen, leaving Yang alone. Qrow came out a moment later, carrying a bag Yang assumed was her mother’s.

“Hey, Uncle Qrow…” Yang called out hesitantly, drawing his attention. He passed the bag off to Junior, then came over to Yang. “Do you know… What Raven’s planning?”

Qrow smiled. “Well enough,” he said. “Though I guess it doesn’t matter. Plans will change when we get to Belladonna’s and take her new numbers into account.”

“So… Do you _trust_ her?” Yang asked.

Qrow sighed, placing a hand on Yang’s shoulder. “Listen, I know you haven’t known her as long as I have. But I know my sister. She keeps her hand close, and her poker face is immaculate. That doesn’t mean she’s not trustworthy, just that she’s been hurt in the past. I mean, think about it. Even your father fell for her.”

Yang nodded. “Alright, Unlce Qrow. If you trust her, then I’ll trust you.”

“Don’t trust her through me, trust her for yourself,” Qrow said. “Now go help your sister pack up all those books.”


	59. Vampire Witch

Once everything had been packed for the trip, and the vampires awoke in the safety of the sunset, the group departed from Mountain Glenn, leaving Melanie and Miltia behind to mind the manor. Under the cover of stars, the vampires walked freely, and no grimm approached due to such a large group. At daybreak, the vampires retreated to the sun-proof carriages for the day, while the humans and drudges carried on until they found a decent camping place. They continued the journey, the reverse of before, for five more days, travelling by night and resting during the day before coming to the town just west of Patch.

“I don’t think we should stop here,” Raven said. “It’ll be suspicious, such a large group travelling at night in carriages like ours, sleeping here for the day.”

“You sure I can’t just swing down there and grab a drink at the tavern?” Qrow asked. “I made some promises to the innkeeper on the way to you that I’d love to keep.”

“Gross!” Ruby stuck her tongue out and shuddered, closing her eyes tightly as Qrow laughed.

“I believe Raven is correct,” Ozpin said, changing the subject with a cough. “We would draw too much unnecessary attention to ourselves by going into town at night and sleeping during the day. We never know for sure where the Queen’s spies are, so it’s best to stay away from others.”

Coming to an agreement, the group settled down for the day.

A few hours later, Yang woke to the distant sound of hoofbeats, steadily growing closer. Pawing the sleep from her eyes, she peered from her tent, careful not to disturb Ruby beside her.

While the group had taken care to make camp far from the road, where they would not be seen by passersby, a carriage was headed their way. Alarmed, Yang sprung from the tent, quickly lacing her boots up and running to Raven’s carriage. She rapped on the door, quickly and easnestly. “Uncle Qrow!” she hissed, eyes on the approaching vehicle.

She heard shuffling inside the carriage, and a few moments later, Qrow slipped out the door, careful not to let sunlight enter the carriage despite his grogginess. Yang merely pointed, and Qrow followed her finger with his gaze, frowning. Velvet joined them, her sensitive ears apparently also alerted to the sound.

The three waited at the end of the encampment, and the carriage slowed to a halt before them. The driver, a young girl not much older than Yang, with short Indigo hair and a crossbow strapped to her back, lowered the reigns and stepped down from the carriage. Two more girls circled around the sides, one with long dirty-blonde hair and golden spear the other with deep red hair reaching her waist, hand by the sheathed dagger at her side.

“My name is Nebula,” The driver spoke. “These are my companions, Dew and Octavia.” She gestured to the blonde and the red head respectively.

“What do you want?” Yang asked hesitantly.

Qrow placed a hand on her shoulder. “To join us,” he said to Yang, then looked up to the girls. “How did you find us?”

“We didn’t, it was our mistress who did.” Dew answered. “She and Gwen are resting inside for now.”

Yang looked to Qrow. “Who’s their mistress?”

“A very dangerous vampire,” Velvet answered. “And one Ruby would love to meet.”

\---

When the sun began to set that night, Ruby kept looking expectantly to the newcomer’s carriage.

“She’ll wake up when she wakes up, Ruby,” Yang said, pushing a bowl into her sister’s twitchy hands.

“I know, I know,” Ruby sighed, taking the spoon in one hand and stirring absently. “But a vampire that’s also a witch? I didn’t even know that was possible!”

“I didn’t know either, but you heard what Velvet said about her.” Yang reminded.

“Yeah…” Ruby stared into her bowl. “She can’t talk, because the Queen ripped her vocal cords out.” She looked up excitedly. “But she can still _write_!”

Yang shook her head. Ruby was simply too excitable.

Junior plopped down beside Yang with grunt, his bowl much larger than Yang’s. _’Everything’s a competition with this guy, huh?_ ’ she thought.

After taking a bite, Junior leaned forward, not looking directly at Yang. “Your mother’s real worried about you, you know.”

Yang blinked in surprise. “What? Raven? Worried about _me_?”

Junior nodded, taking another bite. “She’s odd. You should have seen her with the twins when you weren’t around. It was like she was the mother she always wanted to be, but in a strange master-servant relationship. With you, she’s different. She doesn’t know how to act around you.” Junior turned slightly, eyeing Yang. “I know what happened. She told me and the twins everything. You should stop holding it against her, it was that Taurus’ fault.”

“I still don’t trust her,” Yang said. “I mean, look at you and the twins! You’re her _servants_! You can’t really enjoy this, can you?”

Junior turned to Yang, drawing himself up to his full sitting height. “You don’t know anything about us. If Miltia hadn’t become a drudge, her illness would have killed her. Melanie and Miltia were just as willing as I am.” He paused, staring Yang down. “Besides, this is only temporary. Once the vampirism curse is broken, the twins will be able to return to what their lives were before Miltia’s illness.”

Yang was silent for a moment. “And you? What happens to you, once this is all over?”

Junior started, then turned away, staring into his bowl. “I’m not going to back to where I was before Raven found me. I’ll start a new life somewhere else.”

Yang stared, but didn’t push the big man for clarification. The sound of a door opening drew their attention, and Yang watched as Raven stepped into the night. She looked around, then her eyes fell on Junior and Yang, sitting together. She narrowed her eyes, either confused or irritated, though Yang couldn’t tell. Junior stood, stretching briefly, then made his way over to his mistress.

“There she is!” Ruby squeaked, and Yang looked away, to the newcomer’s carriage. A girl stepped from the carriage, her shoulder-length brown hair in ringlets. Her black dress was topped by an armored skirt, which seemed to be storage for throwing knives.

Yang stood. “Really? She’s the vampire witch?” Yang tilted her head, placing her hands on her hips. “She doesn’t look that magical.”

The girl held out her hand, and a gloved hand from the carriage accepted it with grace. The hand was followed by the rest of a small woman, around Glynda’s age, wearing a tiered white dress with pink ruffles. The front of the dress ended just below the woman’s knees, showing off a pair of heeled leather riding boots. The woman’s hair was the most interesting, split down the middle with one side pink and one side chestnut brown, with white streaking through the pink waves. Despite the lack of sun, she carried a delicate, lacy pink parasol, twirling in her free hand.

“Oh,” Yang said awkwardly as the woman smiled politely in her and Ruby’s direction.

Ruby grabbed Yang’s hand and dragged her to the vampire. “Hello!” Ruby exclaimed. “I’m Ruby Rose, and this is my sister, Yang!”

At her introduction, the vampire’s eyes flashed, and she raised her eyebrows, staring at Ruby’s face.

“This is the Lady Neopolitan,” the brown-haired girl introduced.

“It’s a pleasure to meet you!” Ruby extended her hand.

With a grin, Neopolitan blinked, and her eyes shifted to one pink and one brown. She reached out and shook Ruby’s hand firmly. Despite the act being friendly in nature, a nagging feeling poked at Yang’s gut, and she resisted the urge to rip her sister away.

“Ooh, is this the vampire witch you told me about, Vel?” Coco asked, coming up behind Ruby and Yang, Velvet beside her. “I love the dress! Very daring, it suits you!”

The vampiress nodded in thanks, the colors now switching eyes. Once again, Yang felt something off about the woman, and she placed her hands on Ruby’s shoulders. “Come on Ruby, we’ll have plenty of time to talk to her once we get to Lady Belladonna’s. Be polite and don’t crowd her!”

“Aww,” Ruby pouted, and turned. “Nice to meet you, Lady Neo!”

The vampiress silently smiled and waved back, staring directly at Yang as the corner of her mouth twisted higher and higher.


	60. There and Back Again

Once everyone had finished eating and the camp was all packed up, the group continued their journey east to Patch. The carriages made their way slowly as Yang scouted ahead with Qrow, wanting to avoid other camps. Yang fiddled nervously with her reigns, wanting to talk, but unsure of what to say.

“Alright, what’s bothering you?” Qrow said finally, breaking the silence.

Yang sighed. “It’s the new vampiress… The vampire witch, Neo.”

Qrow raised an eyebrow. “What about her?”

“The way she looked at Ruby when Ruby said her last name was Rose… The way she looked at me when she realized I was Raven’s daughter…” Yang shuddered. “I just don’t trust her.”

Qrow nodded, mulling it over for a moment. “She’s been… Wary since things happened with her and the queen, so I’ve heard. Afraid to rebel against her, waiting for the right moment. Having a Rose Witch and a daywalker probably made her comfortable enough to help.”

“No, you don’t understand,” Yang turned to her uncle. “The look on her face, the way she _smiled_ , I don’t trust her. She’s up to something, and I don’t like it one bit.”

Qrow eyed Yang. “Well, if that’s how you feel, I won’t try to dissuade you. After all, I didn’t see this look she gave you girls. But truly, I don’t think she means you harm, she’s just… Not used to people.”

Yang sighed. She had really been hoping that Qrow of all people would trust her on this, but apparently she was on her own when it came to Neo. She’d just have to keep her guard up. On the horizon, Patch rose in the distance, showing the way was clear.

“Alright, looks like there’s no one else out here but us,” Qrow said, bringing Stark to a halt and turning back the way they came. “Let’s head back and let the rest of the group know.”

Yang nodded, leading Shadow along the trail behind Stark. Yang savored the ride, letting the wind tousle her blonde locks, feeling freer than she had since before her initial journey to Lady Belladonna’s castle. But the feeling didn’t last long, as they soon joined the rest of the group once more.

As she approached, she saw her sister, riding atop Crescent, trotting alongside Lady Neopolitan’s carriage. Neopolitan smiled politely, hooded lashes falling over her eyes as Ruby spoke animatedly, moving her hands and arms about. Neo laughed silently, reaching her hand out and placing it delicately on Ruby’s shoulder. The action, simple and friendly as it was, sent a chill down Yang’s spine. Every instinct told her to rip her sister away from the jaws of death.

Yang shivered and pressed her knees into Shadow’s sides, cantering over to Ruby. She plastered a fake smile on her face and called out, “Ruby! We’re almost home!”

Ruby turned away from Neo, and the vampiress’ hand faltered. A bright smile came over Ruby’s face as she turned Crescent away from Neo and met with Yang. “That’s great, sis!” Ruby said happily. Neo smiled from behind Ruby, giving Yang a look that chilled her to her core. Yang looked away quickly.

“You’ll be lucky if your father doesn’t kill you,” Qrow said, walking up behind the sisters on Stark.

“Augh, don’t remind me,” Ruby groaned, gripping her reigns tightly to her chest. “I mean, at least it paid off! Velvet showed me a lot, and we narrowed it down to two spells!”

“Yeah, I don’t think dad’s going to let you off the hook that easily,” Yang grinned, shaking her head.

Ruby pouted, but turned to her new friend. “Well, Lady Neo’s teaching me some new things, too!”

Yang looked over her shoulder at the vampire witch, who smiled and waved her fingers. Yang turned back to Ruby. “I thought I told you not to crowd her? You can be a little overwhelming sometimes, you know.”

Ruby looked a little hurt. “Well, _she_ doesn’t seem to think I’m overwhelming,” Ruby huffed.

“Wait, Ruby, I didn’t mean-” Yang realized her mistake immediately.

“Well, too late. You already said it.” Ruby spurred Crescent off. Yang sighed, regret filling her stomach with a burning sensation.

Qrow stood next to Yang, watching Ruby go. After a moment, he looked to Yang.

“Now you know how your mother feels,” he said simply. “Trying to keep someone safe, but saying the wrong thing.” He squeezed his legs around Stark and trotted after Ruby.

\---

Sunrise was still an hour off by the time they reached Patch and made their way to the Xiao Long stable. Ruby was riding with Velvet alongside Lady Neo’s carriage. Yang rode alongside Qrow, anxious but nervous to see her father again, and worried for how he would react upon seeing ruby again after she’d been gone for nearly two months.

More so, she was anxious to see how he’s react after seeing her mother again after two decades. 

Raven sat beside Junior, staring straight ahead as they traversed through the town where she once lived. She looked calm, but Yang noticed she sat hunched forward, and every now and again her leg would start to bounce before she caught it and stopped.

Qrow followed Yang’s gaze and watched his twin.

“She would never admit this to you, but… she’s nervous,” Qrow explained.

“Nervous?” Yang turned and looked at her uncle.

Qrow nodded. “She’s afraid that it’s been too long, that he won’t remember why he ever loved her. That he won’t understand why she had to leave you two. That even with Summer gone, he’ll chose her memory over Raven’s life.”

Yang turned back to her mother, feeling sorrow for the woman. She still found it hard to forgive her for everything that she’d done, but to see her fretting so caused her heart to ache.

Yang tore her gaze from her mother, looking down. She took all the love around her for granted when her mother had no one. Yang had her father, her uncle, her sister, even Lady Blake and all the Belladonna drudges. All Raven had was Qrow, maybe her drudges.

Finally, they made it to the stables. The familiar sight of home filled Yang with a rush of warmth and happiness. She pulled ahead of the rest of the group, both to get Shadow in his stall and help with the rest of the horses and to see her father as quickly as possible.

She dismounted quickly, pulling her saddlebags off and then removing Shadow’s saddle before leading him to his favorite stall. Zwei nickered in greeting to his friend, and Stormalong chewed hay while staring placidly. In the stalls beside Stormalong, there were two unfamiliar horses. Yang tilted her head at that, but didn’t have time to investigate as she removed Shadow’s bridle and bit.

The riders came first; Ruby on Crescent, Qrow on Stark, Velvet on Winter, and Coco on North Wind. Behind them came the carriages, each with their own horses, and it quickly became clear that there wasn’t enough room to house all the horses in the stable.  
“Alright,” Yang scratched her head. “I guess the less skittish horses can stay in the pasture overnight, there’s water and they can graze…”

Flynt patted one of his horses, a handsome Friesian that Yang had been eyeing with adoration. “Alto’s not easily spooked, but if there’s any mares out in there with him, there might be trouble.”

“Alright, let’s put Alto, Shadow, Zwei, Stormalong-”

“What’s going on out here?” Yang looked over to the back door, where Taiyang stood in the doorway with a lantern in hand.

Ruby stepped forward meekly. “Hi dad,” she spoke quietly, barely audible. “I’m back.”

Taiyang let out a cry of relief and stepped forward, throwing his arms around his youngest daughter. “Ruby! I specifically told you _not_ to leave! Did you have any idea how worried I was?”

“I’m sorry dad!” Ruby cried, hugging him back. “I didn’t want to hurt you, I just needed to figure things out!” the pair stood there, holding each other for a moment, before pulling away.

“Well, who are all _these_ people now?” Taiyang asked, sweeping his arm around. “More drudge friends?”

“No,” Raven said, stepping down from her carriage. “Old friends.”

Taiyang and Raven locked eyes. Taiyang dropped the lantern, and the fire guttered out.

“Raven?” he asked hesitantly. “Is that you?”


	61. Home

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hi people, I have finals this coming week. If you have finals coming up, good luck! If you had finals, I have ice cream and tissues!  
> Anyway, sorry for taking to long to update, and sorry I screwed up on the Third Crusade side arc. I'll try to work it in organically in the next chapter! I think I've got all the other loose ends all set to be tied off, so sit back and enjoy the last 10-ish chapters!

Raven took an awkward, hesitant step forward, then stopped herself. “Good to see you again, Tai,” she said nonchalantly, crossing her arms and leaning with her weight on her right leg. If Yang hadn’t been so close, she wouldn’t have noticed how Raven’s fingers trembled as she squeezed a fist into the fabric of her sleeve.

Taiyang was silent for a long moment, then took purposeful strides toward Raven. Yang was worried as her father drew nearer, but as he came within reach, he spread his arms and wrapped Raven in mighty hug. Raven was stunned for moment, but reached her arms around and hugged him back, pressing her face into his chest.

“Where were you?” Taiyang asked, pulling away to cup Raven’s face in his hands. “Why did you leave? Why didn’t you say anything?”

Raven’s eyes sparkled, too proud to cry in front of so many people. “I’m sorry, Tai,” she said. “I’m here now.”

Taiyang smiled and pressed his forehead to Raven’s, moving one hand to her neck and stroking her cheek with his thumb while his other hand went around to her back, pulling her close. “Yeah, you are.”

Qrow coughed into his fist, drawing their attention. “Don’t get me wrong, I love my nieces, but you two seem to be ready to make more right this moment.”

Raven looked away quickly, separating herself from her old love with a start. “So, why are there so many people here? Looks like you’ve brought a small army,” Taiyang said, looking around.

“In a way, yes,” Ozpin explained, helping Glynda down from their carriage. “We have received word that Lady Belladonna has freed herself from her captors, and we are going to join forces with her at her castle.”

Taiyang grinned. “Great! Sounds like everything’s going well, then!”

“If it’s the truth,” Yang added. “We’re not entirely sure if this is a trap or not. It seems… too well-timed. But we can’t not help her, so we’re prepared for the worst and hoping for the best.” Her eyes subconsciously shifted to Lady Neopolitan, who met her gaze with a sly smile. Yang looked back to her father. “Can you help me with the horses?”

Taiyang nodded, assisting Yang with unlatching the steeds from their carriages and shuffling horses around to either the stables or the pasture. The two worked well together, with a practiced ease Yang fell back into easily.

“How have things been with Nora and Ren?” she asked, checking each stall for water.

“I’m glad you asked, actually,” Taiyang said, hanging up the last bridle. “We have guests who would love to meet you in the morning. Having them around is sure to help your cause. They’ll probably go with you if you ask, since Ren and Nora are going.”

Yang turned to the house, raising her eyebrows. Beside the pasture, the vampires had already retired, and the drudges were setting out their bedrolls in tents for the final day before going to Castle Belladonna. On the horizon, the dark blue sky had tints of pink and orange, hinting at the imminent sunrise.

“I think my internal body clock is thrown off, having been around vampires for so long,” Yang said, stifling a yawn.

Taiyang smiled. “Trust me, you’ll want to stay awake for this.”

The pair walked inside their home, and Yang took in a dep breath, overcome by the scent of home. She nearly bumped into her father, paused in the doorway. She was about to ask why, but looking over his shoulder, she saw her mother sitting at the table, staring him down. Yang shifted her weight, looking over her shoulder. “I’m going to double-check the horses,” she mumbled. “I think the uhh, the saddles…”

“Okay,” her father whispered. “I’ll be here.”

Yang turned, closing the door behind her, walking to the pasture. She crossed her arms over the fence, resting her chin on her arms with a sigh. Shadow walked over, his beautiful black coat grey with dust from the road, nuzzling Yang’s face.

“No, Shadow, I don’t have any food for you,” Yang said, reaching her right hand up and stroking his face. Shadow snorted and lifted his tail, showing Yang how he felt about her lack of treats, but didn’t leave her side. Zwei slowly made his way over as well, the placid tobiano completely unfazed by the number of newcomers camping beside his pasture. Yang gently pet the two horses, watching as the sun slowly crept into view.

Qrow sauntered over beside her, watching the sun rise. “Beautiful, isn’t it?” Yang said. “No matter what happens, the sun rises every day.”

Qrow nodded. “Your mom in there?” he gestured vaguely to the Xiao Long home, and Yang nodded. Qrow smiled. “I guess she was worried over nothing, then.”

Yang’s right arm twitched, her fingers briefly spasming mid-stroke, causing Shadow to snort and pull his head away. “I don’t think it was for nothing. She has a lot of explaining to do to him, and to me. I don’t think either of us will forgive her that easily.”

“Seems like he was ready to forgive her right then,” Qrow joked. Yang didn’t laugh, and Qrow took his flask from his breast pocket, downing a swig. “I know she hurt you. But she meant the best. I hope you can come to terms with that before it’s too late.”

“Before it’s too late?” Yang turned to her uncle, golden hair swishing violently. “What’s _that_ supposed to mean?”

Qrow eyed his niece for moment, pressing his lips into a thin line. “Don’t worry about it,” he said. “You’ve got enough to worry about as it is.”

Yang narrowed her eyes, but before she could respond, the door to the house opened. Yang turned, expecting her father, but was met with Bolin and Sage instead. The boys waved when they caught Yang’s eye, and she waved back.

“What are you two doing up so early?” Yang asked.

“Trying to be useful,” Sage said. “I knew a little about horses from talking with Neptune all the time, so I help out with the stables since your dad’s letting us stay here.”

“I do some of the work, too, and I’m not as afraid of horses as I used to be!” Bolin added excitedly. “But I haven’t ridden since that day.”

Yang laughed, clapping Bolin on the shoulder. “Small steps, Bolin. Small steps.” She was happy to see Bolin doing better, and Sage finally recovered from when she had drained them before their escape.

Sage looked over Yang, giving a low whistle. “Damn, girl, Shadow sure needs a brushing.”

“Hey, it’s not my fault we don’t take curry combs with us on the road!” Yang said, blushing fiercely. “If I wasn’t so tired, I’d do it myself.”

Sage waved his hand, dismissing the idea. “Don’t worry about it, I need a project. I’m getting good at picking hooves without irritating the horses, so this should be a breeze.”

“Don’t jinx yourself,” Yang warned. “Now they’re all going to be a bunch of babies and not let you touch their legs.” She shook her head and made her way to her house. “Good luck!”

At the doorway, she took a deep breath, the turned the handle and opened the door a crack, looking in. She didn’t see anyone, so she opened the door the rest of the way. The dining room table was empty once more, her parents nowhere in sight. She looked around, noting the stove was now on, a pot gently heating to boil, eggs in a small basket on the counter and a loaf of bread on a cutting board. She heard Nora’s voice echoing from the garden on the other side of the house, and padded into the family room.

The fireplace held embers from last night’s fire, blankets neatly folded over pillows on the couches. She turned to her father’s room, where the door was closed. Curious, she tiptoed over, staying as quiet as possible. She pressed her ear to the door, straining to hear as she brushed an unruly lock behind her ear. Hearing the activity inside, her face flushed, and she stole away, trying her best to suppress her imagination.

She grabbed a glass from the cupboard and filled it with water from the water pitcher, quickly draining it before refilling the glass and sitting at the table. She then allowed herself a deep groan, burying her face in her hands, chastising her nosiness, vowing to never eavesdrop again. Worse still, a nagging thought kept creeping into the corners of her mind- how would her reunion with Lady Blake go? Her heart beat faster, fueling the red rushing to her face at the thought.

She heard a door open upstairs, and shook her head to clear it, hoping to shake the blush away as well. She chugged the water as footsteps made their way down the stairs, pausing at the landing. Yang finished the water, looking over.

“Hello,” Lady Pyhrra Nikos said cheerily.


	62. Enlightening Conversations

Yang stared at Pyrrha for a moment, then tilted her head in confusion. “Lady Nikos…? What are you doing here?”

Pyrrha took a seat across from Yang. “Please, just call me Pyrrha,” she said, leaning her javelin on the table’s edge. “I’m here to train Jaune. We’ve been sparring every morning, and he’s getting quite good.”

Yang looking back up the staircase. “Jaune…?”

“Arc,” Pyrrha confirmed with a nod. “Youngest son of Lord Arc?”

Yang’s mind whirled. Of course, Ren and Nora had stayed behind to gain the support of the local lords for Weiss, but for Lady Nikos and Lord Arc to be _here?_ In her _home?_ She became keenly aware of the threadbare rug in the living room, and the faint smell of horse that permeated the walls. “Right,” Yang said, her face growing warm against her will. “So, why did you come _here?_ ”

“Well, you _are_ going to rescue to rightful heir to throne, are you not?” Pyrrha chuckled. “I volunteered to come, to show that my house supports her claim fully.”

“Same for Jaune, then?”

Now it was Pyrrha’s face flushing. “Well, Lord Arc has several older sisters to claim the estate before him, so his father sent him in hopes that he could be a knight in shining armor to capture her heart…”

The ladies heard a noise from upstairs, as though someone had stumbled while trying to fasten their armor. Yang raised an eyebrow. “He sounds very capable.”

“He’s come a long way,” Pyrrha offered.

The door to Ruby’s room opened, and a young, scrawny blonde man came down the stairs, wearing a silvery breastplate and pauldrons, a knight’s sword fastened at his hip. “Good morning, Pyrrha,” he said tiredly, shoulders hunched, then looked to Yang. “Who are you?”

“Yang Xiao Long,” she said extending a hand.

Jaune immediately straightened, jerking his hand out to shake Yang’s. “You’re the vampire? Well, half- vampire? Half-pire?”

Yang nodded, not aware that she had become so famous. “I’m surprised they told you. I thought I was supposed to be some huge secret.”

“Well, we need to know who we’re fighting, right? And wow! That’s awesome! I mean, it’s probably not awesome for _you_ , but all those vampire powers? I’m jealous!” He laughed nervously. “So, you, uh, you spent some time at the vampire castle, right? Did you… you know… meet the princess?”

“I think Weiss already has her heart set on another,” Yang said, shaking her head.

“Really?” Pyrrha perked up instantly, then collected herself.

“Well, of course, she’s a princess, she must have many suitors! Of course she would, she’s pretty. Well, she _is_ pretty, right? Of course she’s pretty, she’s a princess! She’s got to be beautiful!” Jaune paused awkwardly, then turned to Pyrrha. “So! Uh, anyway, let’s get to practicing!”

“Right! Practice!” Flustered, Pyrrha reached for her javelin, only to smack it and knock it over. She apologized at the same time Jaune did, both bending down to pick up the weapon at the same time. They bumped heads, both apologizing again, before Jaune held his palm up and grabbed the javelin for Pyrrha, preventing further injury.

Yang watched with interest as Pyrrha, such a powerful and talented warrior, was reduced to incomplete sentences and flushed cheeks around this dopey blonde lord’s son.

The pair awkwardly stumbled over each other as they made their way outside, and Yang shook her head at the ridiculousness. Her thoughts drifted to Lady Blake, and she was stuck with horror, wondering if she had just witnessed her own bumbling foolishness. She groaned, leaning back in her chair, thinking of every embarrassing moment that had occurred during her stay at Castle Belladonna, wanting more and more for the Earth to open up and swallow her whole.

Finally she scooted her chair away from the table with a sigh and headed upstairs to her room. For the most part, it was as she had left it, though now there was a saddle bag with the Nikos family crest laying beside her desk and unfamiliar items on its surface.  
Too tired to investigate, she closed the curtains and padded across the familiar dark room to her bed. She drew the heavy blanket up to her chin with a yawn, surprised she had stayed awake for so long, letting the warmth lull her to sleep.

\---

Yang woke some hours later, the first comforting dream she’d had in a long while slowly fading from her memory. She laid on her back and stretched, her joints popping in protest, then flipped over, contemplating going back to sleep. She closed her eyes, ready to continue her dream, but it was gone. She lay for a moment, content and warm, happy to be in her own bed.

Her own bed, not on the road. She opened her eyes. That’s right, she had somewhere to be. Someone to save. No time for laying about. She pushed her covers back, rejuvenated, ready to save the woman that she…

The woman that she _what?_

She shook the thought from her head, taking an unfamiliar hairbrush laced with long red hairs from her desk and working at her bed head. She yawned, and as she breathed in, a warm smell filled her nose- fresh baked bread. Her stomach rumbled its desire, and she quickly finished brushing her hair.

Downstairs, the house was empty save for the smells still hanging in the kitchen, but Yang heard voices and laughter from outside. She opened the door to the back, where the vampires had set up camp the previous night, and was greeted by a campfire and a setting sun.

“Good morning, sleepy head!” Ruby greeted, holding a scythe in one hand and spell book in the other, Velvet and Coco leaning beside her.

Yang squinted against the sun’s glare at her sister. “What are you doing with that scythe?”

Ruby grinned. “You’ll find out!”

Yang raised an eyebrow, but didn’t press further. Yang looked around, searching for her father. Ren and Nora had made fast friends in Pyrrha and Jaune, while Neon sat closely with the four drudges of the vampire witch. Bolin and Sage stood by the stables, showing Oscar different horse care methods while Glynda sat off by herself, using the light of the fire to write in her journal. Qrow was deep in conversation with Junior, but when he noticed Yang, he waved Yang over.

“Still no sign of your parents?” he said, nodding to the house and offering Yang a basket of fresh, buttery rolls.

Yang gratefully accepted the basket and shrugged. “I know why Raven can’t come out yet, but I figured my dad would be up by now.”

“He hasn’t seen her in nearly two decades,” Junior snorted. "I wouldn't expect either of them for quite a while." 

Yang screwed up her face and shook the memories from her earlier snooping from her mind. “What were you two talking about _before_ I came over here?” she asked.

Junior looked at Qrow warily, but Qrow answered easily. “The Third Crusade, of course. We’re on our way to rescue the rightful queen, after all.”

Yang took a seat and leaned forward. “So, are you finally going to let me in on this big secret, then?”

Qrow grinned. “It all started in Mountain Glenn. There was this alchemist, a man named Merlot, who was rumored to have scientific knowledge beyond normal human comprehension. Ozpin said there was only one person he could have turned to to get this knowledge.”

“The vampire queen,” Yang said, and Qrow nodded.

“The first King Ironwood, at the time Sir Ironwood, a knight to King Schnee, heard of this alchemist Merlot, and went to him to strike up a bargain. He wanted to replace the Schnees and become king himself, but didn’t quite have the means to do it. Sure, the other knights were tired of the king’s selfish antics, and the lords and ladies of the ruling families found his taxation difficult to keep up with, which in turn caused taxation to be difficult on us. He wasn’t a very popular king, but old King Nick established our kingdom, so what were we to do?” 

“But what happened? Why is it called the Third Crusade, not the First Crusade or Second Crusade?” Yang asked.

Qrow continued. “Sir Ironwood had support if something were to happen to King Schnee, but not support to take down Schnee. He needed someone else for that. That’s why he turned to Merlot. He was an alchemist, experimenting with artificial life and artificial soldiers, and along came Sir Ironwood with the perfect opportunity to test them out- for a price, of course.”

Yang shuddered. “What was the price?”

Qrow stared for a moment before answering. “If what The Third Crusade says is true, his ability to father children. James Ironwood is not his son, he’s Merlot’s.”

“He’s… _Merlot’s_ son?” Yang was stunned. “Does he know? Is he also an alchemist?”

“No, he doesn’t know,” Qrow said. “And yes, he’s also an alchemist. One who inherited the gift of human transmutation.”


	63. To the Castle

Yang sat quietly for a moment, eyebrows scrunched together as she processed the information. “So, where does King Ironwood fit into all of this? If he’s Merlot’s son, and also an alchemist, is he on the Queen’s side?”

“We can reasonably assume that he is not a vampire, as he is active during the day and can be in sunlight, but his involvement with the Queen is unknown,” Junior said.

“We’re just going to have to hope he never got involved with her like his grandfather did,” Qrow said, running a hand through his hair. “If he is, then we could be in big trouble.”

Yang nodded. She had never met an alchemist, and wasn’t keen on making an enemy of one while the Vampire Queen still drew breath.

The sun slowly disappeared, and Junior excused himself to begin packing up for the journey ahead. Yang ate the rolls as she watched the other drudges get up to do the same, and one by one the vampires awoke and exited their sun-proof carriages to bask in the moonlight. Lady Neo made a beeline for Velvet and Ruby, sitting beside the pair and looking intently at Ruby’s scythe and spell book.

Yang stood from her seat quickly, startling her uncle, ready to move to Ruby’s defense, but Qrow placed a hand on her arm.

“Are you certain she’s untrustworthy?” he asked.

Yang hesitated, then looked back to her sister. Her gut was in turmoil, but Lady Neo was sitting placidly while Ruby excitedly pointed to something in her spell book. _Had_ Lady Neo ever done anything that was so deserving of this suspicion?

Yang took a step forward, then sat down beside her uncle, leaning her head on his shoulder with a heavy sigh. “It’s just my gut feeling. Dad always said to trust my gut, so I do, but I don’t know about her.”

Qrow reached an arm around, patting Yang on the back. “Maybe it’s because you don’t _know_ her,” he suggested. “Have you tried talking to her?” 

Yang leaned forward, staring at the vampire witch, trying to see the woman for who she really was. She smiled and nodded with something Ruby was saying, then flipped a few paged in the spell book, causing Ruby to become even more animated.

“I guess I should talk to her,” Yang mumbled.

Qrow gave her another pat on the back. “Good.” Her brought his hand back and stirred his soup thoughtfully. “Of course, if you _do_ give her a chance, and your gut _still_ tells you not to trust her… Let me know, alright?”

Yang nodded. “I will, I promise.”

The two ate together silently, when finally Taiyang and Raven exited the house. They were together, in a way, yet not- they weren’t holding hands, or even standing close to each other, and as soon as they were outside, Raven went to Junior while Taiyang walked over to Yang and Qrow.

Yang held out the basket of rolls to her father. “Well?” she asked.

“Well what?” he asked nonchalantly, pointedly turning his back to Raven.

Yang nodded her head. “I see.”

Tai grimaced, sitting down across from the pair. “To be fair, I thought she hated me or was dead for the past 20 years,” he said. “It’s not like she visited, or wrote, or like Qrow ever said anything.”

“You’re preaching to the choir,” Yang said, reaching forward to pat her father’s knee empathetically before turning to her uncle. “So why _didn’t_ you say anything? Even just a small lie to make us feel better.”

“Ugh, don’t make this my fault,” Qrow fished into his breast pocket for his flask. “She swore me to secrecy, and drudges can’t disobey their masters. If I could have said something sooner, I would have, believe me.” He took a swig from his flask, then jammed the cap back on, muttering about his sister’s drama.

“So, you’re leaving again tonight, right?” Taiayng asked, looking down at the bread bowl.

“Yeah, tonight.” She knew she needed to get back to Lady Belladonna as quickly as possible, but seeing her father’s face when she confirmed pained her heart. “We’ll be back soon, though,” she said, trying to cheer him up.

“Of course,” Taiyang gave her a pained smile. “Just as quickly as you came back when Ruby went missing, right?”

Yang’s heart dropped to her stomach. “Dad, I’m sorry. But we need to do this, for everyone, not just for Lady Belladonna. I mean, when this is all over, and Raven’s human again, maybe you two can… patch things up..?”

“Do you _want_ us to patch things up?” he asked. “More importantly, do _you_ want to patch things up?”

Yang was taken aback. “What do you mean, do _I_ want to patch things up?”

“She’s your mother, Yang. Are you two going to make amends, or are you going to be mad at her forever?” Taiyang said. 

Yang stared at her father. She hadn’t thought that her relationship with Raven would impact his. “I… I guess I can try to work things out with her-”

“You can’t just _try_ to work things out, Yang.” Taiyang shook his head, crossing his arms. “Either you can make amends with her, or she’s not going to be in our lives. That’s it.”

Yang paused, then looked over to where Raven was with Junior. Sensing someone looking at her, Raven turned, making eye contact with her daughter for a brief moment, then turned away quickly.

“Is that why you’re fighting?” Yang asked, swallowing a lump in her throat. “Because of me?”

“Don’t worry about us. I’ll be fine no matter what, as long as you and Ruby come home quickly.” Taiyang nodded at Qrow. “I’m counting on you to keep them safe.”

Qrow nodded back. “I will,” he promised.

\---

As the drudges finished packing, Yang helped Bolin and Sage prepare the horses for the riders while Qrow and Taiyang hitched the drivers to the carriages. With Melanie and Miltiades taking care of Raven’s manor, there was extra room in her carriage, which Bolin gratefully opted to take advantage of. As the group sorted out who was riding on which horse or in which carriage, a flash of red caught Yang’s eye.

“She says you’re more than welcome to travel in her carriage,” Nebula said, pointing her thumb over her shoulder to where Lady Neo stood. Yang’s heart started to pump faster, the sound echoing in her ears, but she remained rooted to the spot, remembering her promise to Qrow.

Ruby bounced on her toes, her signature red cape flaring behind her. “Oh, I appreciate the offer, I really do,” Ruby said, “but I have Crescent. I _did_ grow up riding horses, after all!”

“Okay, I’ll let her know!” Nebula turned away and walked back to her mistress, and Yang relaxed despite herself. Watching as Lady Neo received the news, Yang noted that the vampiress didn’t seem particularly upset.

Maybe Qrow was right, maybe she _was_ just being prejudiced.

Yang turned away and grabbed the pommel of Shadow’s saddle and notched her foot into the stirrup, hoisting herself up. As she adjusted herself in her saddle, Amber walked her horse over to Shadow.

“Are you ready?” she asked.

Yang looked down at her right arm, and made a fist with her hand. “Yes,” she said decisively.

“Good,” Amber said. “We’re going to start training back up as soon as we get settled in at Castle Belladonna. Don’t think I’m going to go easy on you just because you beat up one Ursa Major.”

Yang smiled. “Of course not, I wouldn’t expect anything less.”

Once the rest of the group found their spots for the ride, Yang brought up the tail of the group as Qrow led the carriages on the hidden road that led to the castle. While Ruby had discovered a path through the forest by accident, the castle was connected to the main roads… If one knew where to look, and if the castle’s magic wasn’t hiding it.

Yang was in good company at the end, though. Lady Nikos- no, _Pyrrha_ , she insisted Yang call her- rode a handsome Percheron with plated armor, her spear ready to repel any grimm. Not to be outdone, Jaune also hung back, his chestnut Arabian less dressed for battle. Nora had made friends with Stormalong, who had been used to Neptune holding his trident while riding and adapted well to Nora and her hammer, while Ren seemed to be the only one calm enough for North Wind. Pyrrha, Jaune, Nora, and Ren all chatted together as they rode, and Yang could only watch with envy.

“My father really wanted me to try to woo Princess Schnee, but I guess that’s never going to happen,” Jaune sighed dejectedly. “Now I’ll have to go home a failure.”

“But surely it’s not a _total_ failure!” Pyrrha said. “You’re still here to help her, so once she takes back the throne, she will look upon House Arc with favor.”

“True, but I’m the youngest child. My oldest sister is going to inherit the estate,” Jaune explained. “I was supposed to get a wife. No one wants to marry a nobleman with so many older sisters!" 

“Well, maybe you won’t marry a princess, but perhaps… Maybe there’s a noblewoman, with no siblings, who is set to inherit her family’s estate, who is still unmarried?” Pyrrha suggested, attempting to hide her blush. “I mean… If there were such a noblewoman, you could still find a suitable wife, then?”

“Theoretically, yes,” Jaune said with a laugh. “But it’s not like there’s any noblewoman like that. If there _was_ , I’m sure she’d have suitors lined up for miles! No chance for the youngest of the Arc family!”

Nora reached out and patted Jaune on the back. “Don’t worry Jaune, I’m sure the perfect wife is out there for you, closer than you think!”

“Really?” Jaune asked hopefully.

“She must be,” Ren added. “If I can find a woman like Nora, then I have no doubt that your future wife is out there too. Perhaps you just need to look a little harder.”

“Right… Yeah, you guys are right! There _has_ to be someone!” Jaune exclaimed. “When this is over and we part ways, I’ll start looking again! I’ll look twice as hard as before!”

Pyrrha’s face fell, and both Ren and Nora gave her sympathetic looks. 

Yang walked Shadow along behind the four, shaking her head. She had no idea who Weiss would marry once she took the throne, but clearly Jaune was meant for another. Who would Weiss marry? Would she be able to forgive her mother, so she and her father could be together once more? What did Ruby think of it all?

Her blood ran cold as she heard Ruby give a cry, and she stood in her stirrups. Leaning forward, she saw her sister, sitting atop Crescent, riding beside Lady Neopolitan’s carriage. _’I should have done something,’_ Yang scolded herself, urging Shadow forward. _’I’ll never doubt myself again.’_

Suddenly, Ruby dismounted Crescent, laughing. Yang brought Shadow to an undignified halt, her face screwed up in confusion. Ruby stooped low to the ground, then stood back up, and in her arms was a cat. Not just any cat, it was a black cat with a long, fluffy tail.

It was Shroud.

Yang let out a huge breath, her shoulders slumping forward. The sun-proof curtain of the carriage was pulled to the side, and Lady Neo looked out, confused. Upon seeing Shroud, she brightened, and Ruby brought the cat over to her.

Yang turned Shadow away and headed back to the rear, ignoring the bitter feeling in her stomach.


	64. Reunion

Yang felt the approach to the castle before she saw it. The stars hung still overhead, the moon pregnant and full, bathing the night in silver light. Yet it never moved as they continued their journey, a testament to the power lying trapped deep within the castle, ancient and fading as it was. It called out to Yang, tugging at her, that she would still find her way even without Qrow to guide her.

“Is it just me, or have we been walking way longer than the moon’s shifted…?” Jaune asked, looking up.

“No, you’re right,” Yang assured him. “That just means we’re getting close.” Her calves itched as she stared at the road ahead, wanting nothing more than to spur Shadow forward.

Nora noticed her legs twitching and nodded Yang onward. “Go on,” she said. “We can bring up the rear just fine, don’t worry.”

Yang gave Nora a grateful nod before squeezing her calves together, urging Shadow into a canter. Shadow easily wove through the bulky carriages and around the slower riders, passing Ruby on her way to Qrow.

“Yang, look who joined us!” Ruby said, pointing to Shroud, contentedly sitting in front of Ruby on Crescent’s saddle.

Yang smiled weakly and nodded, making a beeline to her uncle. Qrow turned at the sound of her approach, raising an eyebrow.

“I thought you were bringing up the rear?”

“Nora’s back there with Ren, Pyrrha, and Jaune. They can handle it.”

Qrow hmmed. “See anything while you were back there?”

“Nope,” Yang said. “We’ve been clear the whole way here.”

Qrow narrowed his eyes. “And did you _hear_ anything?”

“…No,” Yang realized. “Nothing. No howling from beowolves, no ursa growls… nothing.”

Qrow hmmed again, more deeply this time. “Be ready for anything when we get there.”

Yang nodded, trepidation growing. The pulling sensation only grew stronger, and in the distance, she could see the vague outline of Castle Belladonna slowly begin to take form.

“We’re here,” she breathed, a mix of relief and anxiety making its way through her body.

Qrow squinted beside her, leaning forward as far as Stark would let him. “What… are _those_?”

Yang leaned around Shadow as the gate materialized in the gloom. At first she noticed nothing amiss, but after a moment, she heard her uncle swear under his breath, and she saw the source of his confusion.

On either side of the gate, staked into the ground, were two heads.

Yang shuddered. “Should we move those? Before Ruby sees?”

Qrow nodded, moving to dismount, but Yang stuck out her hand. “I’ll do it,” she said simply, and after a moment, Qrow nodded.

Yang lowered herself from Shadow’s saddle, a sharp pain burning through her lower abdomen. She sighed, resigned herself to the courses, irritated that they had to come when she might need to fight.

Walking to the gate with ears burning, her eyes swept the area in case it was a trap. The castle was utterly silent, and the forest was eerily quiet around her, the usual sounds of grimm absent from the night. She focused on the heads, and as she drew close, realized she recognized them.

On the left, impaled on Bolin’s staff, was the decaying head of Whitley Schnee. On the right, on Neptune’s guandao, was the head of Adam Taurus.

Yang had no problem ripping Whitley’s head from Bolin’s weapon, sure the man would appreciate his arms back, but as she turned to Adam’s head, she was acutely aware of the state of his head. While Whitley’s had begun to decompose, Adam’s was pristine, save for the tear on his neck where his body should continue. Gripping Bolin’s staff tightly, she stepped forward.

“Took you long enough,” the head said.

Yang froze, every small hair on her body standing on end. “…You’re... _alive_?”

The head laughed. “Alive? No. But until my heart is destroyed, I’m not dead.” The head laughed again, depreciatingly, then coughed and spat up a lump of blood. “A fate worse than death,” it hissed.

“You deserve it,” Yang said unflinchingly. “For what you did to her. What you did to her family. You’re a monster.”

The head laughed again. “When you go in there, once you see what’s become of my body… You’ll realize we were all monsters all along.”

Fury roiled in Yang as the head laughed again. “She’s not a monster! She’s doing what she has to to survive!”

“She has to torture me to survive?” the head spat. “Do me a favor, daywalker; if you can find my heart, end me.” It gave her a rueful smile. “I might even thank you for it.”

The corners of Yang's mouth twisted into a sneer. “Maybe. We’ll see how I feel when the time comes.” Grabbing the head by its hair, she ripped it from Neptune’s guandao and threw it as far she could, praying that some grimm would find it and eat his tongue. Weapon in each hand, she returned to Shadow.

Qrow nodded to where she had angrily chucked Adam’s head deep into the woods. “What was that all about?”

Yang shook her head. “Let’s go,” she said, squeezing her knees to urge Shadow back into motion. The group entered the Castle grounds without fanfare. Unlike before, two guards stood by the entrance, weapons in hand. They called into the castle, and as the rest of the wagons rolled into the courtyard, more guards poured from the doors, ready to defend the Castle.

Yang dismounted from Shadow once more, a twinge in her abdomen reminding her of her feminine cycle. She rubbed the lower right side, soothing herself with the thought of the bathtub filled with warm water to ease the pain.

She passed by her mother’s carriage as Bolin exited, hailing him with his staff. His face lit up, and Yang tossed him the weapon. He held it like a father held his first-born son, only to realize one end was coated with rotting blood. He looked to Yang cautiously, but Yang simply shook her head.

Yang continued to the guards, gauntlets heavy on her wrists, Neptune’s guandao at her side. “State your name and business,” one of the guards cried, lowering his sword at her.

Yang eyed the guard curiously. He was dressed in Taurus raiments, his black livery featuring a white floral design beneath a wilting red rose. Likely one of the few who survived the battle, to be taken as one of Lady Blake’s new drudges. Her eyes went to the guard’s feet. Surprising, considering his awful stance. She looked back up, taking him apart. Bad stance, leaning too far forward, grip too tight on his sword…

He was lucky Yang was a friend.

Yang planted the end of Neptune’s guandao into the ground, pushing the end slightly away, holding up her left hand palm out to show she meant no harm. “My name is Yang Xiao Long,” she said. “I’m here to see Lady Belladonna. I’m a friend.”

The guard narrowed his eyes, but another guard stepped forward cautiously, sword at her side. “Are you the dhampir?” she asked, eyes wide.

Yang nodded. “I am.”

The second guard smiled, sheathing her sword and stepping forward. “She said you would return,” the guard said. “She’s waiting for you.”

“She’s waiting?” Yang gulped. “For _me_?”

The guard nodded. “She’s inside, come with me!”

Raven reached out behind her, grabbing the guandao. Yang hadn't even heard her approach. “Yang,” she said, an unsaid warning in her voice.

“It’s a little late to start being concerned for me _now_ , isn’t it?” Yang snapped, releasing the guandao. Raven’s eyebrows rose, and she clutched the guandao close. Lady Neo came behind her, laying a gentle hand on her shoulder before turning to Yang and urging her on. Yang turned away, back to the second guard. “Take me to her,” she ordered.

The guards let Yang through the door, leading her into the foyer and down the hall of portraits. As she passed through the narrow hall, Yang avoided looking at the portrait she knew was her mother’s, not wanting to see her face. Instead, she looked at the portrait of the pale woman with red eyes and black sclera, the one she was sure was the vampire queen. The woman’s eyes still seemed to follow Yang as she made her way down the hall to the reception room, and Yang still felt somewhat frightened by the woman.

‘ _I’ll have to get used to her,_ ’ Yang told herself. ‘ _If I can’t even look at the picture, I’ll never be able to fight the real one._ ’

The guard opened the door at the end of the hall, letting Yang through. It was like the first time Yang had come into the castle; the curtains were drawn closed, and the only light came from the fireplace. In Lady Blake’s favorite seat, Yang saw a feminine form leaning forward, a black cat on her lap.

“Lady Blake…?” Yang asked hesitantly, and the woman turned. Silky black strands fell over her light brown shoulder, gentle curls bouncing as golden eyes gazed at Yang. She quickly shooed the cat from her lap and stood to her full height, her deep violet dress draping luxuriously from her collar to the floor.

Tears formed in the corners of her eyes as she held her arms out, and Yang rushed forward to the embrace. As she wrapped her arms around Lady Blake, she felt a sharp pain in her stomach, and looked down. Sticking out from her stomach was an arrow. She looked up to Lady Blake, uncomprehending, but she shattered like glass.

In the corner, Cinder stood, bow held out in front her, her right hand relaxed from having just loosed an arrow.


	65. Defeat

Cinder smirked at Yang. “Nothing personal,” she said with a slight shrug, then looked behind Yang. “Where’s the vampire huntress?”

“Still outside,” Yang heard Nebula respond. Yang looked over her shoulder. Behind her, standing in the doorway to the hallway, stood Lady Neo and her drudge. “We thought you might want to take care of them separately.”

“I could kill them both with ease,” Cinder assured the drudge. “Get this one out of here. Neo, have you gathered enough information on the huntress to make a good illusion?”

The vampire witch nodded, then pointed to Yang. Cinder looked down at Yang, quirking an eyebrow. “Oh, really…? Perhaps we should leave her in here then.” Cinder walked forward, grabbing Yang by the collar, causing Yang to scream as the arrow was disturbed. Cinder paid her no mind as she dropped Yang unceremoniously into Lady Blake’s chair. She turned the chair away from the fire, pointing Yang to the door. “There,” Cinder said. “Now, go get the huntress.”

Cinder walked behind the chair as Yang reached trembling hands to the arrow’s shaft. What was she supposed to do in this situation? Did she pull the arrow out the way it went in, or push it through to finish its journey? She couldn’t remember, but with each shuddering breath she took, blood soaked the surrounding area, sending shockwaves of pain through her stomach. She touched the shaft gingerly, and nearly screamed again.

“Don’t die before the huntress gets here,” Cinder teased, drawing the head of her next arrow along Yang’s cheekbone before nocking it on her bowstring. “I need you to distract her for me. Can you do that, oh mighty daywalker?”

Cinder laughed, backing away from Yang. Yang held the arrow in place, mind racing, but unable to think beyond the pain. She wheezed, pressing her hands down around the wound, but the blood only seeped around her fingers.

The door opened once more, and Yang looked up to watch in horror as Nebula led Amber into the room. Amber’s eyes widened as she saw Yang clutching her stomach, arrow and blood both out.

“Amber, go-” Yang choked, blood spilling from her lips.

“Yang, what did that vampire-” Amber spun her staff around into a defensive position, only to be cut off as a second arrow soared directly into her chest. Amber’s eyes bulged, then fluttered as she fell to the floor.

Cinder stepped out from the corner once more, smiling down at the huntress. “Be a dear and retrieve Adam’s head, will you?” she said, staring down with a cross between distaste and smugness. “The only _real_ threats have been eliminated.” She turned away, turning toward the hallway of portraits.

The scent of human blood filled Yang’s nose, and her mouth watered. She pushed herself forward, off the chair and down to the ground. The movement pushed the arrow farther into her stomach, and she grunted in pain as she slowly crawled to her mentor.

Lady Neo stopped Cinder, grabbing the woman by the wrist. “Before you go, my mistress has a favor to ask,” Nebula said.

“A favor?” Cinder paused. “Of _me_?”

Nebula nodded. “The daywalker’s sister is a witch. The young one with the red cape. My mistress would have her.”

Yang reached out, her hand finding Amber’s wrist. She couldn’t feel the thump of a heartbeat. With great effort, she heaved herself up, looking down at Amber’s body, blood slowly soaking her breast. Her vision blurred, and tears fell, mixing with Amber's blood.

“She would have the girl?” Nebula Cinder smiled. “The Queen’s orders were to eliminate the humans and bring the vampires to her.”

“True, but what’s one human girl?” Nebula reasoned. “She wants to make the girl her drudge, so truly, she’ll be no trouble.”

Cinder mulled the idea over. “All right,” she said. “Come get your girl, and we can kill the rest. Nebula,take care of the daywalker, then get Adam’s head.” With her final order given, Cinder turned and made her way down the hall, heels clicking. Nebula bowed as Lady Neo followed, then closed the door and turned to Yang.

“Sorry,” she said with a shrug. “Orders are orders.” She pulled a metal chain from her coat pocket and advanced on Yang.

Yang looked up from Amber, blood dripping from her mouth as her red eyes found Nebula. Nebula swore as she dropped the chain and pulled the crossbow from her back hurriedly, hitting Yang in the shoulder. Yang hissed, fangs extended, and grabbed Nebula’s ankle.

Nebula yelped as Yang yanked her from her feet, desperately trying to load another bolt. Yang pulled her leg, digging her nails into the girl’s flesh, and Nebula let out another cry as Yang swatted the crossbow from her hands.

“No, wait, I don’t-” Nebula was cut off as Yang leaned forward, piercing Nebula’s neck with her fangs. Nebula shrieked, but it was short-lived as Yang hungrily gulped down her blood. It only took her a minute to drain the girl.

Yang looked back to Amber and pulled the arrow from her shoulder with a hiss. She took a deep breath, then pulled the arrow from her stomach, letting out a sharp cry. The injuries throbbed with pain, but after a few moments, the bleeding stopped.

Yang leaned forward, looking at her mentor. Amber’s eyes were half-lidded, her shirt a mess from where the arrow had entered and two puncture holes dotting the side of her breast from where Yang had fed.

“I’m so sorry, Amber,” Yang whispered, reaching down to close her mentor’s eyes. “I still need more. Please forgive me.” Yang let out a shuttering breath, tears falling down her face as she leaned back down into Amber’s chest, drinking once more.

The clicking of the door alerted Yang once more, and she sprang to her feet, ready to kill whoever came through the door.

Lady Neo strolled in, surveying the carnage. Octavia came after, Ruby gagged in her arms, her knife to her throat. Yang faltered, watching as Gwen and Dew followed. “She killed her,” Dew cried, leaning down to cradle Nebula’s corpse. “Drained her, too, by the looks of it.”

“She killed our sister. Should be an eye for an eye,” Octavia reasoned, pressing the tip into Ruby’s neck and drawing a pearl of blood. Ruby whimpered around the gag, silver eyes shining with tears.

“ _DON’T YOU HURT HER!_ ” Yang screamed. Lady Neo raised an eyebrow and gently placed a hand on Octavia’s arm to push her back.

“She wants the brat,” Gwen reminded Octavia. “We can’t just kill her. Besides, we need her to get the daywalker to do what we want.”

Yang trembled. “And what exactly is it that you want me to do?”

Lady Neo grinned mischievously.

“She wants you to die,” Dew said, closing Nebula’s eyes and standing. “She’ll take good care of your sister, don’t you worry.”

“Absolutely not,” Yang spat, taking a step to her sister.

Lady Neo smirked and let go of Octavia’s arm, letting the woman draw blood from Ruby’s neck once more. Yang froze, eyes glued Ruby.

“Look, it’s simple,” Gwen explained. “Either you can do what Lady Neo wants and your sister will survive, or you can do something stupid and we kill her.”

Yang’s heart pounded, eyes darting between Ruby and Lady Neo. She clenched and unclenched her fists, grinding her teeth. Eventually, she sighed, dropping her head to her chest, shoulders slumped in defeat.

“Do what you want,” she said. “Just let Ruby live.”

Lady Neo grinned as Ruby let out muffled cry, Dew coming behind Yang to take her weapons and bind her arms with the chain Nebula had dropped. “I’m sorry, Ruby,” Yang whispered, refusing to look up. “I can’t let dad lose you again.”

She didn’t resist as Dew led her away, Lady Neo and Gwen following behind the hallway of portraits, Ruby left behind at Octavia's mercy. As they entered the foyer once more, Yang bristled at the sound of battle. Dew released her arms, letting Lady Neo take them as Dew and Gwen stepped forward to open the heavy doors to the courtyard.

In the moon’s pale light, Yang watched as her comrades struggled against the vampires and a battalion of drudges dressed in both Taurus and Fall livery, along with those of Houses that she didn’t recognize. Raven had abandoned Neptune’s guandao, instead drawing her sword as she attacked Cinder mercilessly. Qrow and Junior were beside her, each sparring with Mercury and Emerald respectively. Ozpin was engaged with a massive, dark-skinned man with brown hair and a beard, attacking ruthlessly with his fists. Flynt and Neon were tag-teaming a maniacal man with scars crossing his body, lashing his wrist blades out with reckless abandon as he laughed with delight.

Lady Neo smirked and gave a nod to Gwen, who took a deep breath then shouted above the battle’s cacophony. “We have killed the huntress and captured the daywalker! Surrender now, for you have no chance of victory!”

The clash of weapons slowly died off as both friend and enemy alike turned to the door, seeing for themselves that it was, in fact, true.

“Yang…” Raven rook a step forward. “How could you give up like this?”

Yang hung her head. “They have Ruby.”

Qrow sucked in a breath, but Raven only shook with anger. “You’d sacrifice _everything_ , all of _us_ , just for _her_?”

Tears streaked Yang’s face as she finally lifted her head to look her mother in the eye. “After you left… After Summer died… I don’t know that I can survive this. I can’t do that to dad. At least now Ruby will-” She choked. “I’m sorry. Tell him I’m sorry.” She hung her head once more.

“She won’t be telling anyone anything,” a familiar voice echoed. Yang looked up, startled. Adam Taurus had walked through the gate, cracking his neck, but otherwise showing no sign of his earlier decapitation. “We’re taking the vampires to the queen, and the humans and drudges are ours to feed on.”

Yang’s body tensed, but Lady Neo tightened her grip with her left hand, reaching her right hand around to slowly glide her index finger across Yang’s neck. Yang shivered, glowering at Lady Neo before looking back to Adam.

He made his way over to Yang, accompanied by a well-dressed man with a manicured mustache, and Cinder moved to join him. “How’s your head, _darling_?” she teased.

“Fine now, thanks to Doctor Watts,” Adam said. “Clever of you to put me out there like that, I see it truly did lure them into a false sense of security.”

“Yes, yes, she’s very clever,” the man beside Adam, Doctor Watts, said while rolling his eyes and waving a dismissive hand. “Now, what shall we do with the dhampir? Surely the queen will not appreciate us bringing such a creature into her presence.”

“Oh, we won’t,” Adam assured the doctor. “She’ll die here.” Once more, Cinder nocked an arrow and leveled it at Yang, but Adam gently pushed the bow down. “No, dear, I have a _much_ better idea.”

Cinder cocked her head, slowly releasing tension on her bowstring. “Oh?” she asked, a grin spreading on her lips.

Adam walked forward, yanking Yang from Lady Neo and looking down at her. “She came back here for Blake,” he said. “It would be a shame if she never even got to see her.”


	66. Together

Yang’s heart raced at the mention of the vampiress. She would get to see Lady Blake? Why had Adam said it with such a sneer? She didn’t have time to think as Adam grabbed her by her golden locks, igniting pain in her head, and dragging her back into the castle and up the circular staircase, each step reminding her of the ache in her lower stomach.

On the second floor, they took a familiar turn to the left, and Adam dropped Yang down before the door of her old quarters. Her scalp burned as she stared, watching as Adam reached into his breast pocket and tossed a key to one of his drudges.

“You know, in way, you are my daughter,” Adam stated. “It’s because of me that you are who you are.”

Yang bristled. “I’m not your daughter,” she spat. “You mean nothing to me.”

“I’m glad you think so,” Adam said, “Else I might actually feel guilt for this.” With that, he nodded to his drudge, who turned the key in the lock and swiftly pulled the door open. Adam grabbed Yang by the hair once more, tossing her into the darkness of her old room. “Give Blake my regards,” he sneered as the door closed after her.

After a brief pause, and the sound of the key turning in the lock once more, Yang was left in the darkness, hearing the thudding of steps making their way back down to the main floor once more. Yang peered around the room, but her eyes couldn’t adjust to the gloom. Feeling with her hands, she made her way across the floor, touching the plush rug and fine couch and daybed before reaching the far wall. Reaching up, her hands met wood where they should have met glass, the windows having been boarded up.

“Lady Blake?” she whispered hesitantly. Her ears burned, but she could only hear the sound of her own heart thudding in her chest. Her lower abdomen ached, from her cycle or from her earlier encounter with Cinder’s bow she didn’t know, but she continued crawling to where she remembered the door to her old bedchambers to be.

She fumbled, but eventually found the doorknob, and twisted it carefully. The door creaked as it slowly swung open, painfully loud in the dark silence, and Yang swallowed a lump in her throat.

“Lady Blake?” she whispered again.

Her ears strained, and the faint sound of wheezing came from deeper in the bedchamber. She crept forward blindly, finding the solid wood of the bed, silken sheets spilling over the sides. She stood carefully, walking around to the side of the bed, hearing the wheezing grow louder with each step.

“Lady Blake?” she whispered. “Is that you?”

She heard the shift of satin. “Please, leave.”

Her breath hitched. It was Lady Blake. She sat down on the bed beside the vampiress in the dark. “Lady Blake, I came back for you.” She reached out a hand blindly, touching the woman’s soft skin, feeling her stiffen at her touch.

“Please,” Lady Blake rasped. “You have to go. Get out of here, now.”

The vampiress curled in on herself as Yang scooted closer, rubbing what she could now feel was Lady Blake’s shoulder. “I’m not leaving you. You’ve been left enough.”

“No, Yang,” Lady Blake choked. “You, you smell… You smell like blood.”

Yang looked down at herself. Even in the dark, she realized she was wearing the same shirt she had worn when she had been shot by Cinder and Nebula. The blood stains were still fresh.

“Lady Blake… When was the last time you fed?”

Lady Blake shrank away from Yang’s touch. “Please leave. I can’t do this. Not again.”

Three headstones, surrounded by belladonnas in the garden. Adam’s cruel grin as he decided to reunite the two. Yang balled her hands into fists. 

“Lady Blake, I… I failed.” Yang hung her head. “I was supposed to save you from Adam, to save everyone from the Queen with Amber. Now Amber’s dead, they’re going to take the vampires to the Queen, and drink the humans and drudges. I’m a failure of a daywalker.”

Lady Blake turned slightly, brushing against Yang.

“I was supposed to be strong, to be powerful, to be _brave_ , but in the end… I’m none of those things. I don’t…” she swallowed. “I don’t deserve the power I was given. I don’t deserve to be alive.”

Lady Blake turned on her, inches from her face. “Never say those words,” she hissed. “You deserve life. You _deserve_ happiness. Just because your enemies are greater than you anticipated doesn’t mean you are a failure.”

Yang breathed deeply, then brought her hand around behind Lady Blake’s head, pulling it down to her neck. “No. _You_ deserve to live. _You_ deserve happiness. You never abandoned your friends, you even tried to save your drudges.” Tears welled in lilac eyes. “Even if I die, if I die knowing that you and Ruby survived… I can die happy.”

Lady Blake started to breathe heavily, entranced by the smell of blood. She buried her face into Yang’s shoulder, hungrily sucking on the wet fabric where Nebula’s arrow had pierced her. Yang held her head closer, reaching her other arm around to Lady Blake’s back.

“Please,” she whispered, tears beginning to fall. “Survive. For me.”

Lady Blake reared back, pushing Yang away. “I can’t.” Her voice cracked. “I can’t do this. Not again.”

“You don’t like the taste of my blood?” Yang asked. Lady Blake faltered, and Yang reached out, pulling the vampiress down on top of her, letting the woman’s face fall to her stomach. Lady Blake breathed in the scent with an appreciative sigh, taking the bloody fabric in her mouth once more. Yang’s pelvis cramped slightly in the new position, and she shifted her hips, drawing Lady Blake’s attention.

“It’s your moon cycle,” she said.

Yang shrugged as best she could given her supine position. “Just some cramping, don’t worry about me.”

Lady Blake crawled up so her face was directly over Yang’s, her hips between the younger woman’s. “I can smell your blood.”

The room was dark as a moonless night, but Yang could swear she saw Lady Blake’s golden eyes flash. “Well, yes, it generally does bleed…”

“Alright, Yang. I shall drink your blood.” Lady Blake said. “But I refuse to kill you to do so.”

Yang’s heart rate sped up as Lady Blake placed a gentle kiss in the crook of her neck. “Wha- Lady Blake?”

The vampiress’ hands were at Yang’s belt, unlatching it and grabbing the waistband of her riding pants and pulling slowly.

“Lady Blake! What are you doing?” Yang hissed, grabbing her pants. “I thought you were going to drink my blood!”

Lady Blake paused, pulling away from Yang’s neck. “You are bleeding, are you not?”

“Yes...” Yang nodded, realization slowly dawning on her.

“Then let me do this,” Lady Blake sighed, leaning back down into Yang. She continued pulling Yang’s pants down, and Yang let her. When the vampiress moved on to her bloomers, Yang’s breath hitched, and Lady Blake paused.

“Do you want me to stop?” she asked.

“No,” Yang said. “I’m yours.”

Lady Blake moved up, gently caressing the side of Yang’s face. Yang wasn’t sure what to expect, but when the vampiress’ lips met her own, her eyes widened. Lady Blake kissed her deeply, and after a brief hesitation, Yang kissed back, drawing her arms around the woman and holding her close. Lady Blake let her free hand wander back down to Yang’s hips, tugging at the undergarment once more, and Yang lifted her pelvis to help. With the bloomers removed, Lady Blake moved her hand back up Yang’s body, lifting Yang’s shirt as she made her way up. Yang shivered as her body was exposed, and Lady Blake began to shift her body. She left a trail of tender kisses as she made her way down Yang’s body, pausing as she reached Yang’s hips.

“Are you sure you want to do this?” Lady Blake asked again, stroking Yang’s thighs.

“Yes,” Yang breathed, reaching her legs around Lady Blake’s back.

Lady Blake leaned down into Yang’s pelvis and licked a long, slow lick along Yang’s folds. Yang moaned, gripping the sheets with her hands as Lady Blake lapped. She gasped in surprise when the vampiress tongued her opening, letting the blood drain from her, menses mixed with her arousal.

Lady Blake worked at Yang’s folds, using her fingers to separate Yang’s lips and better reach her core. Yang moaned again, shifting her hips into the vampiress’ mouth, body flushing as heat spread up her body. Her eyes fluttered when Lady Blake shifted her tongue, gently licking at Yang’s clitoral hood to expose the stimulated bundle of nerves. Yang unconsciously moved her hand down, tangling her fingers into Lady Blake’s silken hair as she arched her back.

Lady Blake began to suck gently, and Yang’s hand twitched, pulling the vampiress’ head closer, bucking her hips and straining to widen her legs. The woman then inserted a finger into Yang, slowly reaching up and curving, sending shivers down Yang’s spine, and Yang couldn’t help but release a cry of pleasure.

Lady Blake continued sucking, licking, and stroking, until Yang couldn’t handle it anymore. Yang’s legs trembled as she pulled them tightly around Lady Blake’s back, her hand pulling the dark woman’s head down to meet her, and she wailed in ecstasy as she came. 

The vampiress kept her mouth on Yang through her orgasm, gently removing her finger before moving down to lap up Yang’s sex and blood. 

When she was done, she crawled back up to lay beside Yang, placing a gentle kiss on her neck. “Thank you, Yang,” she purred happily. “I feel much better now.”

Yang rolled onto her side, facing Lady Blake. “You’re welcome,” she whispered, reaching a hand out and finding the vampiress’ satin gown. She stroked the woman’s side, enjoying the feeling of the soft fabric over her body.She inched closer to the vampiress, moving her hand up to cup her cheek, finding the other’s lips with a soft kiss. Lady Blake snaked her arm around Yang’s waist, drawing her in, kissing back tenderly.

Yang broke the kiss. “Can we stay like this?” she whispered. “Just for a while?”

Lady Blake ran a hand through Yang’s hair. “I would like that.”


	67. Hidden Passages

Lady Blake held Yang close, gently stroking her golden locks. Yang breathed softly, her arms around Lady Blake, slowly taking in her scent. The bed was warm, and she felt good. More than from her orgasm, she felt safe with Lady Blake, like everything would be okay. Everything would be fine, and Ruby would-

Yang’s eyes snapped open. _Ruby_.

She sat up, detangling herself from Lady Blake. “We can’t stay here,” she whispered. “Ruby, Qrow, everyone else; they’re in trouble.”

“My drudges?” Lady asked, her voice quivering.

“Nora and Ren, Coco and Velvet, Sage and Bolin.”

Lady Blake took in a sharp breath, then slipped from the bed. “Come. It is past time for me to leave this room.”

Yang was blind in the darkness, but she felt a warm hand grasp her own and lead her from the bed. Lady Blake opened the door to the living area, leading Yang to where she remembered the hall door being.

“Wait here, and when the time is right, attack,” Lady Blake whispered.

“When the time is right?” Yang whispered back. “What do you mean? How will I know?”

Lady Blake silenced her with a soft kiss. “You will,” she said, gently stroking Yang’s cheek before moving away, back into the dark.

Yang stood in the night, shivering, and placed her hand on the wall for support. She peered out into the darkness, but couldn’t see anything. Suddenly, she heard a crack of wood, and moonlight drifted in across the room. She watched as Lady Blake wrestled with the boarded-up window, freeing the wood from its nails. A plank of wood then flew across her vision, thudding into the door beside her. Lady Blake worked on the next plank, letting in even more light.

Yang heard the telltale rattle of keys before the door opened, and she crouched, ready for an ambush. The same Taurus guard who had locked Yang in now entered the room, drawing his sword.

“Hey!” He shouted. “Leave those on there! Adam’ll have a fit if I let you burn up come morning!”

Lady Blake finished prying the plank from the window and chucked it at the guard. “Yang, now!”

The guard ducked, dodging the plank, but he didn’t see Yang until it was too late. She reached out with her left hand, grabbing his right wrist, bringing her right knee up to meet the man’s chest. He wheezed and his sword clattered to the floor while Yang used her weight to pin him to the wall. After a moment, he regained his bearings, and pushed his right arm back for control, sweeping his left hand to her hair.

Yang snarled and dropped, bringing her knee up once more, this time to the guard’s crotch. The man crumpled, and Lady Blake placed a hand on Yang’s shoulder.

“Let me,” she said simply, then gently pushed Yang aside, leaning down to the guard. At first he didn’t register what the vampiress was doing as she opened the collar of his raiments, but when she leaned in, his eyes went wide and he tried to scramble away. It was too late, though, as the hungry vampiress already had him in her clutches, and she began to drink her fill.

It didn’t take her long to drain the man.

“Why didn’t you just do that earlier?” Yang asked after Lady Blake had leaned back, letting out a sign of contentment.

“Too hungry,” the vampiress said simply. “We’ll need to play this carefully.” She sat thoughtfully for a minute, then looked back up at Yang. “How fast do you think you can run?”

Yang paused. All she had had to drink was Nebula. “Just as fast as a human,” she said, shaking her head.

Lady Blake nodded, getting to her feet and making her way to the non-boarded window, and Yang followed. The vampiress struggled with the latch for a moment, then opened the window, leaning out to get a better look behind the castle.

“I don’t think we can get out this way without being spotted,” she said, pointing below. Lady Blake’s beautiful black garden had been torn up, making room for the horses and soldiers of Houses Taurus and Fall, along with those other vampires that had appeared to serve the Queen.

Yang’s eyes fell to where the belladonnas and the three grave markers should be, now a latrine. “Those bastards,” she hissed. “Maybe we should go out this way anyway, let them know who’s coming for them.”

Lady Blake placed her hand over Yang’s, letting her fingers fall into the spaces between Yang’s. “It’s alright,” she said. “We can make it better another time. Right now, we need to get out of here without them killing Weiss.”

“Where is she, anyway?” Yang asked.

“I believe she’s in the cellar, locked in one of the holding cells.”

“Well, maybe they put everyone else down there too. Wouldn’t hurt to try for a jailbreak,” Yang said, peeking into the hallway. It was clear. “Let’s go.” Yang ushered Lady Blake from the room and locked the door behind them, stowing the key across the hall in the bathroom where hopefully no one would look. They tiptoed over to the grand staircase and peered down, assessing the situation.

“Lots of guards,” Yang whispered, counting 7 in the foyer below that she could see.

“We’ll have to find another route,” Lady Blake said. “Let’s try through the library.”

The pair stole quickly along the wall, blending in with the shadows as they made their way across the second story’s grand entrance, quietly opening the first door on the right across the stairs.

“We’re clear,” Lady Blake whispered, slipping into the library and holding the door for Yang. Yang stayed low to the floor, looking over the bannister, but saw no one on the first story. “First floor is safe, let’s head down.”

They quietly made their way down the stairs, and Yang stole over to the door, making ready to peek out into the hallway, when she heard a low chafing. She turned quickly, and her jaw nearly dropped.

“I thought we were going to the cellar?” Lady Blake asked innocently, having moved a bookcase to reveal a secret passage, stairs leading down into darkness.

“You never cease to amaze me,” Yang said, grabbing an oil lamp and following the vampiress down the steps.

Lady Blake closed the secret passage behind them, then led Yang down the dusty, spiraling staircase to the cellar. Down below, the stairs led them to a narrow hall, which turned the pair out into an off-corridor running parallel to the main one housing the cells.

“This way,” Lady Blake led Yang along, through the seldomly used tunnel, to the farther end of the castle, where there would hopefully be less guards. The paused at the door, listening for movement on the other side. Hearing nothing, Yang extinguished her oil lamp, and Lady Blake quietly nudged the door open a crack.

In the main hall, there weren’t any lanterns or torches lit in the immediate area, but Lady Blake deemed it safe enough to exit. She closed the door behind them, creating a seamless wall of brick to anyone who wasn’t looking close enough to notice the slight indent of a handle on the underside of one of the waist-high bricks. The pair stayed close to the walls, letting the shadows hide them as they made their way closer to the light.

Yang was back where she had been before, rows of metal bars lining the hall where cells had been interspersed. A group of guards played a card game at the far end of the hall, the light of their torches not reaching down the hall to where Yang and Lady Blake stood.

“What do we do?” Yang whispered. “Free some back up, or take out the guards first?”

Lady Blake pondered the query, but before she could respond, she jumped, looking down at her feet in surprise.

A small black cat stared back up at her.

“ _Gambol?_ ” she whispered incredulously.

The cat blinked in response, tail twitching, then walked leisurely around her leg before making his way across the hall.

Yang stared at the cat, then at Lady Blake. “What does he want?”

Gambol looked over his shoulder, opening his mouth to meow but making no actual sound. Lady Blake squared her shoulders and, after casting a quick glance to make sure the guards were thoroughly engaged, followed her cat.

Yang, confused, stole a brief look down the hall as well before following the vampiress and the cat. They slunk along, and upon reaching the first cell, Gambol slipped in between the bars.

“Gambol!” Lady Blake hissed, crouching down, Yang following.

Gambol padded right into the cell, ignoring his mistress, instead finding the cell’s inhabitants far more interesting.

“Ruby!” Yang breathed a sigh of relief, Shroud in her lap, Gambol sniffing her and the other cat. Ruby turned from her cell mate at the sound of her sister’s voice, her tear-streaked face distraught.

“Yang?” She whimpered.

“Ruby! Hold on, we’ll get you out of here!” Yang looked at the cell’s door, ready to pry it off to rescue her sister.

“Weiss? Is that you?” Lady Blake had leaned forward, her knuckles white around the bars of the cell. Yang peered farther into the darkness in the cell, and in the back, she realized a pale, limp body was chained to the wall. Her silvery hair had been savagely chopped, an uneven halo circling her head. While her body appeared healthy, the only marring of her skin being where the cuffs chained her, dirt and bloodstains on her dress belied her treatment.

At the sound of her name, the princess looked up, her gaze unfocused. Her eyes appeared sunken, the scar over her left eye more pronounced, her chest heaving with exertion. She tried to move her lips, but only released a small moan.

Lady Blake stood swiftly, her eyes burning with cold fury. This time she didn’t bother hiding in the shadows as she strode down the hall, making her way for the unsuspecting guards by the food stores. Yang rolled her shoulders as she kept pace in the darkness, ready to ambush. The cells were all full, two to each cell minimum; vampires chained to the back walls while drudges sat freely, no inhuman strength to free themselves.

The first guard to notice Lady Blake’s approach likely didn’t realize who she was, if his whistle was any indication. The second guard to see her, however, cried out in alarm, drawing her weapon. The other two guards turned while drawing theirs, but by the time they were prepared to fight, Lady Blake was prepared to kill. She rushed forward, weaponless, her nails and fangs all she needed to end their existence. Lady Blake reached the two less-prepared guards first, grabbing the head of one and quickly snapping it before batting away the other’s crossbow and ripping out his throat. The female guard managed to stab the vampiress through the heart, but with the organ still intact, Lady Blake merely snarled viciously and grabbed the woman by the shoulders, bringing her in for a carotid bite.

The man who had whistled turned heel, heading around the corner for the servant’s exit, only to meet the business end of Yang’s stolen sword. He stared down at his chest in disbelief before crumpling to the ground. Yang slyly looked around the corner with her sword’s reflection, seeing the guards by the ladder at dis-ease from the sound of a fight, and with a sigh she reached down for the crossbow Lady Blake had knocked from the guard’s hands. A brief check showed it still worked, and after a deep breath, Yang rounded the corner.

The guards were still in the same relative position as they had been in the sword’s reflection, and Yang managed to kill one and maim another. With the remaining two able to dodge her arrows (whether from luck or skill, she could only guess), she tossed the weapon at the pair as she strode forward. One guard ducked to her right, and she lunged forward, her sword sinking into his stomach. 

The second guard whirled around and stabbed madly, forcing Yang into an awkward parry, her sword still in the first guard. As the second guard pressed her attack, Yang placed the first guard between them, using him as shield before removing her sword and kicking his body into the second guard. The woman cried out in surprise, knocked onto her rear by the man’s weight, and Yang quickly finished her off, then the third wounded guard.

Quietly, she scaled the ladder, placing an ear to the hatch leading to the serving room. Hearing nothing, she moved down the stairs and made her way back around the corner to where the four original guards had been slain. Of those four, only the runner, dispatched by Yang, and the smart woman, drained by Lady Blake, remained.

A trail of blood led back down the hall to Ruby and Weiss’ cell.

Yang hurried down the hall to her sister, fearful of what she might find. Her fear, however, was misplaced, as the door to the cell was wide open, Weiss feasting on one of the guards as Lady Blake removed the last of her restraints. Yang’s shoulders sagged with relief, watching as Ruby gently stroked the princess’ jagged strands and whispered encouragement. 

Gambol and Shroud wove around Yang’s feet, their tails vibrating as they stared up at her with expectant eyes. The cats walked out from the cell, noses pointing back down the dark hall from which they came, away from the rest of the cells.

Weiss finished with the guard and sighed in contentment, leaning back from the drained corpse, and Lady Blake shoved it to the side, where the first guard’s drained body lay.

“How are you feeling?” Lady Blake asked, wiping a small spot of blood from the corner of Weiss’ mouth.

“ _Much_ better,” Weiss sighed, rubbing her now-unshackled wrists. “Thank you, Lady Blake.”

“Let’s go free everyone else,” Ruby said, grabbing the key from Weiss’ chains and hopping to her feet.

Yang coughed, pointing to the cats. “I think they have different plans for you,” she said.

Lady Blake followed Yang’s gesture, seeing Gambol and Shroud. Shroud chittered excitedly, while Gambol blinked slowly, his tail twitching. “I see,” she said. “We’ll have to come back for everyone else.”

“What?” Ruby exclaimed, helping Weiss to her feet. “But, Uncle Qrow-!”

“Whatever Gambol and Shroud need to show us, they need to show us _now_ ,” Weiss said, shaking her head, uneven hair falling about her shoulders.

Ruby turned to Yang, eyes pleading, but Yang shrugged her shoulders. “Well, they brought me to you…”

Ruby sighed. “Alright, but as soon as we’re done, we’re coming RIGHT back!”

“We will, I promise,” Yang said with a firm nod.


	68. Gambol and Shroud

The four followed the cats down the ever-darkening tunnel, heading to the unknown. Yang walked beside Ruby, interlacing her fingers with her sister’s for strength. They passed the spot where the secret tunnel exited out into the main, yet the cats led on, into unknown territory.

“Do you know where they’re leading us?” Yang asked quietly, hoping the vampiresses had a clue.

“I’ve never been this far down in the cellar,” Weiss admitted with an apologetic shrug.

Lady Blake walked directly behind Gambol and Shroud, leading the other three. “I’m afraid I’m not sure either,” she said. “All that lies this way is the stores beneath the servant’s wing, and there’s nothing of interest there.”

The tunnel twisted and turned, then began to slowly brighten with a distant light. Yang motioned the others back and silently drew her sword, peering around the corner.

Lady Neopolitan sat alone, quietly studying a book, absently twirling Ruby’s scythe with her free hand. Gambol and Shroud trotted right up to the woman, tails twitching excitedly.

Yang warily stepped out from her hiding spot, leveling the sword at the vampire witch. “Give me one good reason I shouldn’t kill you right here,” She spat, drawing Lady Neo’s attention.

Lady Neo smiled pleasantly, closing the book in her lap- It was one of Summer’s spell books. She mutely pointed to the direction from where Yang had come, then pointed to the spell book with the scythe.

“My sister?” Yang guessed, to which Lady Neo nodded enthusiastically.

Hearing herself mentioned, Ruby peeked around the corner, spying her spell book and her scythe. “Wait, those…! Why do you have those?”

Lady Neo merely held them out to Ruby. Ruby came out from her hiding spot, but Yang blocked her with her sword, and Weiss grabbed her arm. “Don’t! You said she wanted to do something with you, remember?” Weiss hissed.

Lady Neo huffed, staking the end of the scythe into the ground and placing the book hand on her hip, pouting. Weiss released Ruby, she and Lady Blake coming around the corner to assess the situation. Lady Neo held the items out once more, and Weiss guardedly approached, snatching the items away and returning them to Ruby.

With property returned, Lady Neo headed to a dark, dusty corner, laying a hand on an ancient barrel. The cats followed, then looked back at the others, Gambol letting out an exasperated mewl.

Weiss crouched beside the cats, inspecting the barrel, one eye still on Lady Neo. “A barrel of mead…? Oh my, Lady Blake, this wine may even be older than _you_!”

Lady Blake followed suit, searching the barrel. “I never even knew this was here,” she admitted. “It must have been here since before I came here. Though to be fair, I prefer wine to mead.”

Ruby joined the pair, curious. As she crouched, she set her scythe against the barrel, and as the two touched, the barrel began to emit a silver glow. The three sprang back, surprised, but Gambol and Shroud merely looked back at Ruby expectantly while the vampire witch grinned. Ruby looked at the cats, then the barrel, and gulped. Slowly, she extended her scythe once more, touching it to the barrel.

The barrel shimmered from the inside, as though it were filled with light rather than mead, before collapsing on itself. The boards from the barrel and the base formed a wooden staircase, leading down into the ground, hidden where the barrel had been. Gambol and Shroud immediately began to descend the stairs, followed by Lady Neo.

“Well, guess it’s good you don’t like mead too much,” Yang said, grabbing a lantern. “Shall we?”

Lady Blake hurried down after the cats, followed by Weiss. Ruby started to go after them, but Yang stopped her, hoisting the lantern. “Let me go first,” she said, leading with the light. Ruby nodded and followed her sister, clutching her scythe and spell book.

The staircase was as narrow as the one hidden in the library, and the old wooden boards creaked with each step the women took. The stairs led farther and farther downward, spiraling deep into the earth, and the air took on a chill, the hairs on Yang’s arms standing on end from gooseflesh.

Eventually, they reached the bottom, the staircase spilling the five into a cavernous chamber. As they walked, the air began to fill with low light, hazy motes rising from nothingness and fading out like lightning bugs. In the center of the chamber was a cairn, emitting a soft glow, as though a light were trapped within.

“What is this place?” Yang breathed, looking about in wonder.

“I don’t know,” Lady Blake admitted, “But if I had to guess, it’s the source of the castle’s power.”

Gambol and Shroud wound around Ruby’s feet, pulling her toward the cairn. As they approached the stones, Ruby stared at the mound, seemingly entranced. She reached out, running a hand along the stones.

“Something’s trapped here,” she said. “Something incredibly ancient, and very powerful. I think… I think it was a Rose witch who trapped it.” Her hands brushed over an engraving in the stone, a rose with flaming petals, just like Ruby and Summer’s emblem. 

“Do you have the spell to strengthen it in one of your spell books?” Yang asked, remembering Ruby and Velvet poring over the books.

Ruby shook her head. “That’s just the thing… This doesn’t need to be strengthened. It needs to be released.” She turned to Lady Blake. “I’m sorry. I know you rely on this… whatever this is, to keep your castle hidden, but it needs to be set free. This feels more powerful than a simple spirit.”

Lady Neo clapped her hands, nodding in encouragement. Ruby stared for a moment, then looked at the spell book and the scythe, biting her lip.

“Why do you want this spirit free?” Ruby asked.

Lady Neo’s expression pained, and she reached into her dress’ bosom. Yang tensed, knuckles white around her sword’s grip, but the vampire witch merely withdrew a necklace, prying open a locket. Inside was a picture of a man with striking orange hair covering the right side of his face, dapper hat on his head and grey scarf about his neck. 

“Roman,” Lady Blake whispered, leaning in close.

Lady Neo nodded, holding the locket with a trembling hand.

“The vampire queen had him left in the sun when he spoke out against her ripping out your vocal cords, didn’t she?” Weiss asked.

Lady Neo’s eyes flashed, her grip tightening about the locket, lip curling into a snarl.

The four women watched as the vampire witch regained her composure, tucking the locket back into her dress.

“Should we help her?” Ruby whispered.

“She helped Cinder murder Amber,” Yang reminded. “Amber was our best chance at taking down the Queen.”

Lady Neo cocked an eyebrow, shaking her head slightly, then pointed at Yang.

“I can’t do this without her!” Yang said. “I don’t know how to kill a vampire Queen! She’s stronger than every other vampire, how can I take her down when I couldn’t even kill Adam?”

Lady Neo moved both arms to the side, finger splayed, showcasing the cairn, still glowing with unnatural silver light. Shroud’s furry tail was lashing impatiently from his seat beside it, and Gambol was staring daggers at the group.

Yang sighed. “Ruby, can you use your spell book to free the spirit?”

“The spell is for trapping a spirit, so if I alter it, it should work,” Ruby nodded.

Gambol and Shroud hopped up onto the cairn while Ruby leveled her scythe, Lady Neo helpfully holding the spell book open to the correct page. Ruby used the scythe’s tip to scratch a casting circle into the stone, then stepped back, closing her eyes. She began to whisper ancient words, holding the scythe out to channel her energy like a wand. Roses blossomed along the scythe’s snath, their scent filling the air, and the light from within the cairn glowed brighter, until the cavern was bright as day. As she reached the peak of her spell, Ruby opened her eyes, and the silver of her eyes flowed outward in beams of blinding light.

Yang squeezed her eyes shut, covering her face with her arm, until Ruby’s voice slowly died away. As she opened her eyes and moved her arm, she saw Weiss and Lady Blake doing the same, staring ahead in wonder. Yang looked to Ruby and gasped.

Gambol and Shroud were gone, and in their place was a man made of silver light, standing in the center of the cracked cairn. His featureless face stared back at the five women, taking them each in individually. 

The creature of light paused as his eyeless stare found Yang. It coalesced into a more physical form as he slowly walked toward her, appearing as a nondescript body with shining silver skin. He gently took Yang’s stolen sword, holding it close, and the weapon shimmered with his light. He held it back out, but when Yang made to grab it, it instead wound around her wrists, forming shining bracers of silver.

“This will not kill my sister,” he said, his voice the sound of several voices speaking at once, “but it will send her back to me, that I may punish her.”

With the bracers given, the man he began to shimmer, his shape fading, before the motes of light drifted away entirely, leaving the five in darkness save for the lantern.


	69. Amber

Yang stared down at the silver bracers, heavy on her wrists. The metal was layered elegantly, with clean black lines tracing the edges before a bevel, an outcropping to her hand and two toward her elbows. The bracers circled her wrists in a thick cuff, holding them steady on her wrists. She looked back up, to where the motes had drifted away, the vault of the cavern dark.

“Wait!” She cried belatedly. “Come back!” She ran, past her sister, jumping onto the now-broken cairn. “Tell me what I’m supposed to do!”

Her cries echoed, then faded with no response.

Ruby shifted behind her, reaching out for Yang’s hand. “Yang…” she shook her head when Yang turned. “He’s not coming back.”

Yang held Ruby’s hand tightly, sinking down from the cairn. She stared at the bracers, turning her free hand over. “How will these help? Without Amber, can we get to the Queen to stop her?”

“Of course!” Ruby nodded, pulling her scythe close. “You’ve got me, remember?”

“And me,” Weiss added, coming to stand beside Ruby.

Lady Blake placed a warm hand on Yang’s shoulder. “And myself as well,” she said leaning in close.

Yang smiled, withdrawing her hand from Ruby’s, reaching her arms around Lady Blake and Weiss that the four women could stand united. “That’s right,” she realized. “We have each other. We’re a team.”

“Though… If I’m to be much help, I’ll need to get my rapier first,” Weiss said, and the other three laughed. 

There was a stomp, and the four looked up to an impatient Lady Neo, waiting by the staircase.

“Let’s go,” Yang said. “We have a vampire Queen to kill.”

\---

At the top of the stairs, the group was met by Lady Neo’s drudges.

“They fell for the bait,” Dew informed Lady Neo as the vampire witch came into the basement. “Watts, Callows, and Rainart headed back to the queen. All we need to do take down Taurus and Fall.”

“Bait?” Lady Blake asked.

“Oh, haven’t you heard?” Octavia grinned. “The daywalker rescued Lady Belladonna and together they broke Princess Schnee out from her cell, and they’re headed for the Queen as we speak.”

“Luckily, our wonderful mistress found them out, and was able to warn the other agents of the Queen before they got too far away,” Gwen added. “So lovely of her to stay behind to watch the prisoners, too.”

Yang looked at Lady Neo in a new light. “You… really thought of everything, didn’t you?”

Lady Neo smiled demurely, gesturing back to the cells.

The women began to make their way down the dark hallway, when Dew quietly grabbed Yang’s arm. Yang turned, looking into cold violet eyes. “We haven’t forgiven you for Nebula,” she said, her voice even. “If we didn’t need you, you wouldn’t be alive. Keep that in mind.” She roughly released Yang’s arm, staring cuttingly before handing Yang a folded note, then walking away with a white-knuckled grip on her trident.

Yang paused, guilt slowly filling her gut as she clutched the note. She thought back to their fallen comrade remorsefully, ripping the note open, lantern clattering as she slowly began to walk. Holding the note up to the light, she began to read.

  
_Yang,_

_I’m sorry._  
_I should have told you the plan with Neo, but I couldn’t. Your reactions had to be real._  
_I just wanted to tell you the truth: It was my plan. I came up with it, with your mother._  
_I knew I was going to die today. That I would die to get you closer to the Queen._  
_I taught you everything you need to know. You can do this. You’re a natural, daywalker._  
_Neo has a plan to get you help from the Queen’s brother, the power in the castle._  
_Even if it doesn’t work and it just leaves, it’s okay. You’ll be fine. You don’t need a god’s help._  
_You have all the weapons you need inside you._  
_Be strong. This is goodbye._

_Amber_

Yang stopped dead in her tracks. Her knees locked, her eyes re-reading the page, then buckled as she fell to the ground, lantern sputtering out beside her. She heard her name, heard footsteps running to her, but couldn’t see; it was dark, and her eyes were blurry with tears.

“Yang! What happened?” She felt hands on her face, saw golden eyes. She raised the letter with trembling hands. Lady Blake took the letter carefully, reading it over. After a moment, she let out a soft gasp, then wrapped her arms around Yang.

“Yang…” Lady Blake stroked her golden hair. “I’m so sorry. I had no idea.”

Yang let out a sob, shaking, then shook her head. “I know. You didn’t.” She looked up, eyes flashing red. “But _she_ did. _She_ planned this.”

Lady Blake looked over her shoulder. Upon seeing Lady Neo looking back curiously, she whipped back to Yang. “Yang, no,” she said. “She’s not our enemy.”

Yang ignored her, snatching the letter back, standing on shaking legs. “This was _her_ plan… This is _her_ fault!”

Lady Neo began to distress, and her drudges rushed to her aid.

“You want to do this now?” Dew seethed. “Fine, we’ll use Ozpin’s boy instead! We don’t need you!”

Yang readied her bracers, striding forward.

“Yang, don’t do this,” Ruby said, holding out her scythe. Yang brushed it aside, her course steady.

Lady Neo’s drudges prepared for Yang’s attack. And Yang made no move, walking right past them. Dew spun as Yang walked around her, confusion plain on her face. “Where are you going?” she cried, trident dipping.

“There’s someone I need to speak with,” Yang said simply, continuing to the cells. The hallway was nearly a straight shot, and Yang could almost see the light from the prison area. She kept walking, each step building fire in her stomach until she finally came upon the cells once more. She looked into each cell as she passed, quickly dismissing its occupants before finally arriving at the one she needed.

She urged Glynda and Neon out of the way that she could bend the iron bars, creating an opening large enough for her to step through. Once inside the cell, she forgot the two humans, clutching the letter tightly in one hand, the other hand cutting half-moons into her palms with her nails as she approached the vampiress chained to the wall.

“So,” Raven said, looking at Yang’s bracers. “I see Lady Neo’s plan was a success.”

“Yes, it was,” Yang said curtly. “So was yours.”

“My plan?” Raven scoffed. “My plan failed. We lost the battle, Leo ran at the first sign of a fight, and Amber died.”

Yang held the letter out. “But that _was_ your plan! For her to die! That’s what you wanted, wasn’t it? Well, congratulations, you won! Amber’s dead! I watched her die!” Yang’s hand shook, the fire in her stomach roiling to a volcano. “All for what? For some stupid magic bracers? Are these worth her life?”

Raven stared quietly before answering. “She thought so, yes,” she said finally. “She knew she couldn’t wield them as a mortal. I knew that with a few deaths, they’d get cocky and slip up with killing you. That’s why I suggested sacrificing myself. She thought she'd be a better sacrifice.”

Yang narrowed her eyes. “You? Suggested to make a sacrifice of yourself? Why would I believe that?”

“Because it’s all I can do for you!” Raven almost screamed, tears in her eyes. “All my life, I’ve never done anything for you! I left you and your father behind to save you, but just made everything worse! I wanted to do something to help you, something to show you that I _do_ care about you! Something, Yang! _Anything!_ Even if I die!”

Yang took a step back, trembling. “But… Why Amber?”

Raven sighed, holding back the tears. “She didn’t think they would stop until they killed at least one daywalker. In retrospect, I think she was right, and I knew it all along. I just thought, maybe if I was the one who sacrificed myself for you, then what you’re feeling now…”

Yang’s shoulders sagged, and she looked down at the note in her hand. She had crumpled it in her anger, tearing a small hole in the corner. She carefully smoothed it out, then folded it back up and placed it into the pocket of her breeches.

“I’ll get the key for you,” she whispered.

“Thank you,” Raven replied.

Yang stepped out from the cell back into the hallway. The rest of her group had found the cells, and were in the process of freeing the imprisoned. One of the free was Qrow, waiting beside his sister’s cell. Wordlessly, he spread his arms, and Yang gladly fell into him, letting herself cry into her uncle’s chest. He didn’t say anything; with how loud Yang and Raven had been, their conversation was far from private in the cellar. He held her like that for a long while, the other prisoners getting released around them, before Ruby approached with the key. Qrow patted Yang on the back, ending their hug, then took the keys from Ruby, but Yang stopped him.

“Let me do this,” she said. Qrow paused, eyeing his niece, then relented. Keys in hand, Yang slid back through the opening and found Raven once more. She avoided her mother’s eyes as she undid the shackles, both silent save for the shifting of chains.

“Thank you,” Raven said once more after she was free.

Yang nodded, chewing her bottom lip, hesitating. 

“You don’t have to, you know.” She said finally.

Raven narrowed her eyes. “Don’t have to what?”

“Prove anything. That you care.” Yang paused. “That you’d die for me.”

Raven awkwardly messed with her hands, cracking her knuckles absently. “I just… Wanted to be a good mother. I’m not Summer, and I never will be. I can’t make up for my mistakes.”

“You can, but not by dying.” Yang finally looked Raven in the eyes. “No more death. No one else is dying for me. Let’s just live; you can make it up to me when this is over.”

Raven smiled weakly. “I’ll do my best to stay alive, then.”

The left corner of Yang’s mouth twitched, almost forming a smile. The pair left the cell together.


	70. The Final Argument

Yang and her mother approached the rest of the group. All together, there were five vampires and their drudges, while only Cinder and Adam remained at the castle. Though Adam and Cinder each had a platoon in drudges, neither had Yang, and neither had her gauntlets.  
“We have the element of surprise, thanks to Lady Neo,” Ozpin nodded in her direction. “As far as Taurus and Fall know, we’re all still locked up, and Yang, Lady Belladonna, and Lady Schnee are en route to the Queen.”  
“Where are they now?” Yang asked, fidgeting with her gauntlets.  
Nebula stole a glance at Lady Neo before answering. “Last we checked, Cinder was still holed up in the reception room, and Adam was… lurking in Lady Belladonna’s quarters.”  
Yang saw Lady Blake shudder in her peripheral vision, her disgust so palpable it left a bitter taste in Yang’s mouth.  
“I’ll take Adam,” Yang stated. “He’s long overstayed his welcome.” Lady Blake, still tense, squeezed Yang’s shoulder.  
“I’ll lead another group to the reception room,” Raven chimed in. “It may have been Amber’s plan, but I’m still getting Cinder for her.”

Ozpin nodded. “Let’s split into two groups then. Half of us will go to the reception room, half-”

“No,” Lady Blake objected, hand still tight on Yang’s shoulder. “We’re going to Adam. We can take Weiss and Ruby for support, but we need no one else.” She crossed her arms, standing firm.

Ozpin stared Lady Blake down over the rims of his glasses before relenting. “Alright. The four of you, best of luck. Everyone else, we’ll give them a short lead, then head to the reception room through the butler’s pantry.” He looked between Yang and Lady Blake. “Keep your wits about you. You’re stronger than he is.”

Yang, Lady Blake, Ruby, and Weiss grouped up, making their way to the far end of the cells. Jaune, Nora, Pyrrha, and Ren were circled together discussing strategy, seemingly have become fast freinds, when Ren stepped away, gently holding Lady Blake’s arm.

“Don’t let him get in your head,” he whispered. “I know the truth, and I’m still here.” The two made eye contact, then nodded in unison, unspoken words passing between. Yang’s brow furrowed as Ren turned back to his team, letting Lady Blake continue.

“Are we going back the way came?” Yang asked, and Lady Blake nodded, leading down the hall to the off-corridor. They traveled in single file through the narrow passage and up the dusty staircase to the library’s first floor. The entire time, Yang mulled Ren’s words over in her mind.

According to Nora’s account, Ren had been with Lady Blake the longest; It made sense that he should know her secrets. Yang looked up, watching the slight sway of fabric from Lady Blake’s hips in her tense stride. What truth had the chef been referring to? Was it about Sun? Was it about _her_? Yang looked back down to her feet, chewing her bottom lip.

The quartet filed up through the library quickly and quietly, pausing only when they heard guards. Who else knew this secret? Weiss was like a daughter to Lady Blake, would she know? Did Coco and Velvet know? Had Port known before he ‘retired’?

The team stopped on the third floor, listening for guards. Yang’s heart hammered in her chest, but Lady Blake and Weiss proclaimed the way clear, and the women stole into the hallway. Unlike the second floor, the windows of the third floor were boarded up, as Yang’s room had been. The vampiresses had no trouble making their way to Lady Blake’s chamber, while Yang and Ruby fumbled behind in the darkness with human eyesight.

Nearly the entire third floor was dedicated to the master suite, the door to which the team crouched outside. A racket sounded far off, the surprise attack from Raven’s group, and footsteps made their way down from the second floor to the commotion. Lady Blake stood from her crouch as the sound faded, eyeing her door, and swiftly kicked it in.

Her quarters were lit by numerous candles, dotting the room like a shrine. Every picture in the castle with Lady Blake face on it had been taken from its place and dragged to her sitting room, even the one from the hall of pictures with a young Lady Belladonna and her parents, along with others that Yang had never seen before, likely from Taurus’ personal collection. At the far end of the room, before an opulent fireplace, sat a velvety black am chair similar to the one in the reception room. In it, Adam rifled through papers, occasionally feeding one to the low-burning fire.

“So. You didn’t leave me after all,” Adam pushed a letter back into its envelope before tossing it to the flames. “Perhaps you do have feelings for me after all.”

“Oh, I certainly have feelings for you,” Lady Blake spat, nearly vibrating in her anger. “But my feelings will never be the same as yours.”

Adam stood, tossing the papers aside. “Come now, my love, even I have a limit. Didn’t you learn your lesson last time?” He turned toward the team, crossing his right arm to rest his hand on the hilt of his blade.

Yang was close enough to see the hairs on Lady Blake’s arms raise, her stance shift. She placed a hand on the vampiress’ shoulder.

“Remember what Ren said,” Yang warned.

“Oh? Ren? He still tolerates you, after all these centuries? Even knowing what you did?” Adam laughed cruelly.

Weiss drew her rapier behind Yang. “Be quiet! You’ve harassed her enough!” She shouted.

Adam drew his blade in response, but kept it at his side. “ _I_ harassed _her_?” He shook his head. “No, little princess you have that backwards. I gave her the perfect gift, and she spat in my face. Looks like she wanted it after all, if she settles for you.”

Weiss was taken aback. “What is talking about…?” she asked Lady Blake.

“You never told her?” Adam stepped forward with a menacing grin. “Of course. How could you tell your adoptive daughter what you did all those years ago?”

“BE QUIET!” Lady Blake snapped, wrestling her shoulder from Yang.

“Don’t!” Yang grabbed the vampiress before she could pounce. “Use your head! He’s just trying to get a reaction out of you!”

“Look who’s suddenly so smart,” Adam mocked. “Unfortunately, if you knew the truth about Blake, you wouldn’t be so quick to defend her. Didn’t I tell you we were all monsters all along, daywalker?”

A chill raced down Yang’s spine, and she turned to Lady Blake. “What did you do? It couldn’t have been that bad, right? I mean, he had to have deserved it… Right?”

Lady Blake trembled in Yang’s arms, staring Adam down with the utmost contempt. Silently, she tried to break free of Yang’s grasp once more, but Yang held tight.

Weiss lowered her rapier and came to Lady Blake’s side. “Please, tell us. What is he talking about?”

“Tell your side before he tells his,” Ruby added, coming to Weiss’ side. “He’ll do anything to make you look bad to us. If you just tell us the truth, he can’t do that.”

Lady Blake struggled against Yang futilely for another moment before giving up with a sigh, sagging. “I…” Lady Blake paused, tears welling in her eyes. “I… I killed her.” Lady Blake sobbed against Yang.

“Killed _who_?” Weiss asked.

“Mine.. And Sun’s…” Lady Blake hiccuped.

“No!” Adam raged. “She was MY daughter! I turned you while you were pregnant, she was MINE!”

“She was SUN’S!” Lady Blake screamed. “She was all I had left of him, and you ruined her! You turned her before she was even born!”

“I gave her a gift, I gave _you_ a gift!” Adam raised his sword accusingly at Lady Blake.

“I never asked for this!” Lady Blake broke free from Yang, darting forward and taking Adam’s blade through her stomach to claw him with her nails.

“Lady Blake! Your drudges!” Weiss gasped as the sword slid into her mistress, surely wounding her drudges the same in their fight against Cinder below. Yang dashed forward, using all her strength to pry Lady Blake from her abuser, only to be met with Adam’s sword.

“Who _are_ you?!? Why did you come here now?” Adam shouted. “Everything was going according to plan until _you_ showed up and ruined _everything_!” Yang used her bracers to block the sword, but Adam was dangerously unstable. “You’re not good enough for her! You’ll never love her like I do!”

“Maybe…” Yang grunted, pushing Adam’s blow back with her right bracer and punching out with her left. “That’s a good thing!” Adam staggered back. “Look around! These candles, these portraits? This isn’t exactly what I’d call a loving relationship!”

Adam howled wordlessly as he drove forward once more, but this time, Weiss and Ruby were beside Yang.

“She’s never loved you! Not even once!” Weiss cried as she parried a thrust.

“Maybe _you’re_ the one who’s no good for _her_!” Ruby said, slicing with her scythe.

“You’re wrong!” Adam wailed, the jeers making their into his mind. He swung wildly at Yang, who pushed his sword wide, allowing for a strike from Weiss. He came back hard, but Weiss caught Adam’s blade with her rapier, letting Ruby swipe his left with her scythe while Yang rammed his shoulder with her fist, causing an audible pop.

Adam’s right arm hung limply at his side as his sword clattered to the floor, staring at Lady Blake pitifully. “They’re wrong… After everything I did for you, everything I did for us… For Ilia-”

“ _DON’T!_ ” Lady Blake shouted, then calmed herself, wiping tears from her red-rimmed eyes. “Don’t say her name.”

Blood slowly oozed from Adam’s side while the wound healed itself, a puddle of blood forming at his feet. “All I ever wanted was you, Blake.” He whispered, falling to his knees. “I did it all for you.”

“All I ever wanted was Sun, and you took him away from me,” she seethed, crouching before him. “And now you’ll pay for what you did.” She reached her arm forward into his chest with a sickening rip of flesh, pulling his heart from his body.

Adam sputtered blood with a laugh. “I should have known this would be how it ends,” he said. “My heart in your hands, just how it began.”

Lady Blake snarled, crushing the heart in her fist.


	71. A Bitter Loss

Adam’s body slowly turned to smoke, fading as though he had never existed, leaving nothing but a dark stain on the rug where he died. Lady Blake’s eyes were red from tears, now starting anew, and she swayed on her feet.

Yang rushed forward as she fell, catching the vampiress. “I’ve got you,” Yang said, running her fingers into Lady Blake’s hair as she pulled her in close. Lady Blake sobbed into Yang’s chest, clutching her riding shirt with shaking hands.

Weiss smoothed her torn dress as she sat down beside her mistress, placing a comforting hand on Lady Blake’s arm. “We’re all here for you, Lady Blake,” Weiss said. “No matter what.” She reached around, hugging not only Lady Blake, but Yang as well.

Ruby sat down on Lady Blake’s other side, joining in the hug. “It’s okay, Lady Blake. Take as long as you need.”

The four sat together like that for some time, giving the vampiress encouraging words as she recovered. Eventually, Lady Blake quieted, then straightened herself, wiping the tears and mucous from her face. Weiss offered her handkerchief, miraculously intact from her time in the castle’s dungeon, which Lady Blake accepted graciously.

Once she regained her composure, Lady Blake let out a grand sigh. “She wasn’t like Yang,” she began. “Ilia. She could have been, if fate was on her side, or she could have been stillborn.” She examined the handkerchief in her hands. “But she was like him instead.”

Yang thought back to hall of portraits, to her mother’s sad eyes, the kinship the two vampiresses had shared. “What he did isn’t your fault,” she whispered, only partially to Lady Blake. 

“But what I did to her…” Lady Blake let out a shaky breath. “I never wanted her to be like him, and that was the only way I could stop it. But even now, I don’t know if what I did was right.”

Ruby laid a hand over Lady Blake’s. “In one of the books she left me… my mother wrote that there is no right or wrong. There is no good or evil. There is only us, and our actions. If our actions better ourselves and those around us, then maybe they are right or good. But who’s to judge when a sacrifice is good or right? When death is justified? Is that for us to judge, or for another higher power?” Ruby looked down, gently grasping her scythe. “Witches have been thought of as evil and bad, because we can use magic. But who’s to say that we are? If I use my magic to help people, then shouldn’t that make me good, despite my methods? Are soldiers evil when they use a sword? Are judges evil when they order the death of a criminal?” Ruby's hand trembled on Lady Blake's. “We can judge others all we want, but truly, good and evil, right and wrong, those are all decided by ourselves. Don’t let anyone else tell you what you did was bad or wrong; If you had to save Ilia by ending her life before she could turn into Adam, then you saved her, and you did the right thing.”

Lady Blake stared at the young witch for a moment, then wordlessly embraced her. Ruby released her grip on her scythe, returning the hug and gently patting Lady Blake.

“When did you get so wise?” Yang asked.

“When my big sister faced a hard truth and overcame it,” Ruby replied with a smile.

The four gathered themselves, standing, and made out from the darkened quarters.

\---

A peculiar scent made its way to Yang as the quintet moved from the third floor to the first- it was there, intermingled, with that of blood and death, but it was something new to Yang, that she wasn’t immediately able to place it, yet the scent filled her gut with dread and quickened her pace.

As they progressed through the foyer and down the hallway of portraits, Yang’s trepidation grew, and she felt it from her teammates as well. By the time they reached the door, the four had their weapons at the ready, or claws in Lady Blake’s case, and Yang paused for only a moment to kick the door to the reception room in.

Raven stood before the fireplace, inside which a single-shoed body was burning, one of Cinder’s shoes fallen on its side beside Raven, the heel broken. Mercury was slumped in a chair, Junior wiping blood from his club before him, and Emerald pinned to the wall by Raven’s sword. Both Mercury and Emerald were smoldering, their bodies burning away while the remnants of their hair and clothes belied their identities.

As she stood in the doorway and took in the scene, she realized what the scent was:

The scent of a poisoned illness.

Ozpin and Glynda laid on the carpet beside each other, gently grasping each others hands as twin wounds stained their stomachs, Oscar unharmed between them.

“What happened?” Yang rushed to Oscar, looking between the vampire and his drudge.

“I’m… poisoned,” Ozpin choked, blood coming from his mouth as he spoke. “The girl… She coated her blades in something…”

Yang looked back to Emerald. Emerald’s weapons lie at her feet, the sickles bloodied, and Yang felt a peculiar pulse coming from them, even from the distance.

“Holy water,” she murmured.

“He’s not healing,” Oscar said, looking around back to Yang. “The holy water must be stopping him. Can we save him?”

Yang looked at the wound, then gently grasped Oscar’s shoulder. “I’m sorry, Oscar, I don’t know what to do. I don’t know if we _can_ save him.”

Ozpin coughed, blood spraying, and looked at his wife. “They can’t save me, but I can save you,” he said.

“Oz, no!” she whispered.

“It’s my wound to bear, not yours.” Ozpin summoned what strength he had left in his body, reaching his hand out to gently stroke her cheek, staring her in the eyes. “I release you from my claim,” he said.

At once, the spell Ozpin held over Glynda was lost, his hold over her life dissolved, and the wound in her gut became just that- a wound, not a poisoned one. Glynda cried out, the healing factor afforded to drudges suddenly lost, breathing quickly and furiously as the mortal pain overcame her. Weiss rushed forward, stooping to the woman’s side, picking up Glynda’s frail arm. She leaned her head forward, fangs extended, gently piercing the vessel of the wrist, then turned Glynda’s face to her own.

“With this bite, I claim you as my own,” she said softly. “You will serve me as my drudge until I leave this world or I release you from my claim.” Glynda’s breathing steaded, and the wound on her stomach slowly began to heal itself. Oscar let out a cry of relief, leaning forward to help his surrogate mother sit up.

Glynda palmed the area where her wound should be, then turned to her husband in horror. “Ozpin, how could you…” her voice shook, tears falling. “You said we would be together until the end.”

“This is my end, Glynda, and you are by my side,” Ozpin smiled weakly. “I’m sorry I couldn’t make it to the Queen’s end with you.” Ozpin’s eyes hazed as he stared, not quite seeing. “Take care of our son, love,” he whispered, life fading from his body.

Glynda’s head dipped as she cried out in pain, clutching Ozpin’s hand in her own and leaning down to his chest. Oscar shuddered, eyes wide, breaths coming quickly. Yang reached her arms around the boy, holding him close as he began to wail, the reality of his loss setting in.

Lady Blake stepped past Yang and Weiss, moving cautiously to the door leading to the dining room. There she paused, a look of grief on her face, before stepping through the threshold. Yang looked around, suddenly noting the lack of their companions. There was no sign of Velvet, nor Coco, or even-

Yang gasped. “Raven, where’s Uncle Qrow?” she asked suddenly. Raven said nothing, still staring at the corpse burning in the fireplace, radiating malice. Yang turned to Ruby, motioning to Oscar, and Ruby nodded, taking the boy from Yang’s arms.

Yang stood, making her way to Raven, refusing to look into the dining room as she passed. She grabbed Raven’s shoulder, roughly turning the woman to look her in the eyes.

“Mother. Where is Qrow.”

Raven’s red eyes burned, sclera tinged red, dried tear tracks marring her cheeks. “Cinder took him,” she said simply.


	72. Aftermath

Yang shook her head, backing away. “No,” she said. “He’s your drudge. If it was your wound, he would heal. If it was his, you could turn him.”

“It was a lethal hit,” she spat. “Just bad luck. He was dealing with that stupid-” her hands tightened into fists and she glanced darkly at Mercury. “He was distracted. He never saw her arrow coming.”

Yang left her mother, numbly walking to the doorway leading to the dining room. She was met with blood, Fall troop bodies scattered about the room. Coco held Velvet closely, the former nursing an injured arm, while Nora and Jaune supported a wounded Pyrrha as Ren bandaged her bleeding ankle. Octavia and Gwen pulled an arrow from Dew’s back, the blonde girl’s body lifeless in Lady Neo’s arms, while Nadir and Bolin comforted a grieving Flynt, holding Neon’s body close.

Yang walked past them all, making her way to where Lady Blake sat, Qrow’s head in her lap.

Yang collapsed, falling to her knees when she reached them, seeing the arrow jutting from his chest where his heart had been beating. His eyes were closed, likely Lady Blake’s doing, and if it weren’t for the blood that had dried streaking from the corner of his mouth, Yang could have almost believed he was sleeping.

Almost.

“Yang…” Lady Blake reached across Qrow, taking Yang’s hand. “I’m so sorry. I never meant for this to happen.”

Yang’s hand shook as she stared down at her uncle, grasping Lady Blake’s hand. Her breaths grew quicker, more ragged, and belatedly, she realised they were sobs to accompany the tears now falling onto her uncle’s chest. The air began to feel heavy on her, the scent _too_ thick with blood, _too_ full of death. She let go of Lady Blake’s hand and found herself on her feet- backing away, looking about- and spying the door to the garden, made her escape. Behind her, she heard Lady Blake call her name, but she couldn’t stop.

Outside, the air was fresh. Yang gasped, taking deep breaths, filling her lungs with the clean air as she hunched over, hands on her knees.Twilight was fading, the stars in the east barely visible, the moon low in the western sky. A dangerous time for a vampire to be outside, yet she heard the door close behind her, footsteps making their way to where she stood. Yang felt arms wrap tightly around her, black hair swaying down as another body pressed close to hers.

Yang looked at the hair, pausing. It wasn’t Lady Blake’s silky black teresses, it was wild and feathered, much like her own, the scent different yet familiar. Yang looked back over her shoulder, and realized it was Raven that had risked burning in the sun to comfort her.

“Mom…” she started, and Raven squeezed her tighter.

“I haven’t been a good mother to you, or a good sister to him,” she said. “I’m just… Not good at this. At family.” She sat down in the grass, pulling Yang down beside her. “He was trying to protect me. He didn’t need to, I could have wiped the floor with that silver kicking boy, but your uncle has his pride.” She sighed. “And his luck.”

Yang leaned into her mother, and Raven wrapped her arm around Yang’s shoulder, pulling her closer. It was something new, yet something familiar, and it gave Yang comfort. Before she realized it, she had begun to cry again, softly, tears falling serenely while she felt nothing but numbness within. 

“I should have been there. By the time I was, it was too late to turn him. He was already gone.” she sighed. “I’m never there when I needed, always there when I’m not.”

“No,” Yang said softly. “I need you now, and you’re here.”

Raven started, her body rigid, then quickly relaxed. She leaned her head down to rest on Yang’s, squeezing her daughter’s shoulder tighter. Yang closed her eyes, taking deep breaths, trying to calm herself.

The image of her uncle, lying upon Lady Blake’s lap, came unbidden.

Yang let out a pained whine, choking into a sob, and drew her knees up close to her chest. Raven drew her other arm around to hold Yang tight as her daughter fell into fits of sobbing once more. She said nothing, made no judgements, just held Yang as she rocked and cried.

Yang’s skin grew warm, an odd burning smell reaching her nose, and she looked up from her knees. Raven’s skin had begun to turn pink, as Yang’s might after a long day spent under the sun with no breaks in the shade. In the east, the sun had barely crested the horizon, the sky bathed a brilliant ombre of lilac and orange.

“Raven, the sun,” Yang sniffed, pushing her mother away. “You need to go inside.”

“I’m not leaving you when you need me,” Raven insisted, her exposed skin turning more from red than pink.

Yang crawled around, using her body to shield her mother from the sun’s harmful light. “Raven. Please.”

There was a thud, and a “Hey!” from behind them. The pair turned back to the castle, seeing a pile of Fall troop bodies just beside the open door to the dining room. Junior’s bulky frame blocked the doorway, his skin the same shade as Raven’s. “Hey! I know you don’t give a rat’s ass about me, but think of the twins!” 

“Come on,” Yang insisted, extending her hand. “I’ll come in too.”

Raven considered her daughter’s offer, then took her hand, letting the blonde help her to her feet. Junior jogged out to meet the pair as Yang tried her best to use her small shadow to block Raven from the sun before the large man took over, escorting the pair back to the castle.

As she stood in the threshold, Yang took a deep breath, then stepped back into the dining room. The atmosphere once again weighed down on her very soul, heavy with the scent of death and blood. Her heart began to race, threatening to come up through her throat with the pressure on her ribs. She closed her eyes tight, breathing through her nose, pushing the panic down.

A weight hit her, and Yang’s eyes flashed open with surprise- Ruby had flung herself into Yang, wrapping her arms around her older sister. Yang hugged Ruby in return, holding the young witch close while they both cried together. Lady Blake and Weiss encircled the sisters as well, forming a circle much like they had while comforting the elder vampiress earlier.

When both their tears had been spent, the sisters held each other at arm’s length, and Lady Blake wrapped her arms around Yang’s waist while Weiss held Ruby. Yang softly held onto Ruby’s hands with her own, the two exchanging a nod of finality before parting. Leaving Ruby and Weiss, Yang took Lady Blake’s offered hand for support, finally allowing herself to look to where her uncle had been.

His body was gone, but a blood stain remained behind. Yang brought her hand up to her mouth, blinking away tears and fighting down hysteria. She forced herself to move on, to keep looking- Dew was gone, as was Neon, though the injured remained. Pyrrha seemed to have found partial footing, her left ankle bandaged and leaning on Jaune for support, while Coco’s arm had been wrapped and placed in a makeshift sling. The rest of the drudges seemed to only have suffered minor cuts and bruises, a testament to the effectiveness of the surprise attack.

Still, Yang couldn’t divorce the victory from the losses.


	73. Buried Feelings

It was noon when the graves were ready.

Five holes, six feet deep, out under the tree where Peter Port had been buried a century ago, were nicely spaced apart. It was turning into a quaint little cemetery.

Ren and Nora had cooked, but even after the physical work of hauling the dead Fall and Taurus into a funeral pyre, Yang hadn’t had much of an appetite.

The sun was high, hidden behind a slight cloud cover, but the vampires stood outside for the mass funeral, hovering beneath the shade of their umbrellas and parasols. Someone, Yang didn’t know who, had wrapped the dead in linen in lieu of coffins. It wasn’t the best, but at least she didn’t have to look at Qrow’s body.

Without time to commission proper headstones, the survivors held wooden crosses to mark the holes in the hearts, and where the recovered bodies lie. Yang dug the head of her shovel into the place where Qrow’s headstone-cross would be placed, then walked to her mother’s side. Raven was as composed as ever, stone-faced before the masses. As Yang took her place in the shadows by her mother, she saw the truth: tight lips, red-rimmed eyes, worn facial lines.

Weiss stood to Yang’s left, standing beside Glynda and Oscar. Coco did what she could for the vampiress’ hair with her injured arm, changing the short, ragged cut to a neat bob that she wore rather well. Klein’s body had been buried or burned some time ago, along with the those of the Belladonna drudges lost in the initial attack, but they all deserved headstone-crosses, no matter where their bodies lay.

It was Glynda and Oscar that had Yang worried.

Oscar had already lost his two birth parents, and found replacements in Glynda and Ozpin. Losing Oz had sent Oscar into a downward spiral, one Yang remember well from after Summer’s death. Glynda, however, felt she couldn’t mourn Ozpin without hurting Oscar worse, and so bottled her feelings up, carrying the weight for the both of them. It was only a matter of time before she broke.

Only five bodies had been recovered: Amber, Nebula, Qrow, Neon, and Dew. The strongest among the group, mainly Junior and Nora, helped those closest lower their loved ones into their graves. For Qrow, this pair was Junior and Ruby. Yang had had her reservations, but Ruby was determined. “You’re digging his grave,” she had said. “Let me do this. For him.” Once finished, Ruby reached into her apron’s pocket, bringing out a single white rose, and dropped it into the grave for their uncle. Even here, he wouldn’t be alone- Summer would be with him.

Yang listened hollowly as kind words were said about the fallen- how Klein was patient and kind, how Neon could make anyone smile and loved to dance. The noble sacrifices made by Neptune and Arslan, knowing they would die to save Yang. She squeezed her eyes shut tightly.

The obituaries finished, Yang took her place at the head of Qrow’s grave, removing her shovel as Raven approached with the cross marker. Raven staked the cross deep into the earth, marking her brother’s grave, while Yang staked hers at the head of the grave beside it, for Amber. She moved to shovel the earth over them, but Raven reached out and gently grasped the tool.

“Go inside,” she said.

Yang wrenched the shovel away. “I’m fine.”

Raven narrowed her eyes, then leaned forward to give Yang a hug. Startled, Yang’s grip slackened, and Raven pulled it free. “You think you can just ignore your feelings and they’ll go away?” she drawled. “No one said you had to turn into him, Yang.”

Yang watched helplessly as her mother surreptitiously took the shovel. “Raven, I-”

“Go inside,” she insisted. “And take a bath. You smell like shit.” With her motherly advice given, she turned away and began to fill the graves.

Yang stared after her for a few breaths, then began the trek back to the castle. She passed Weiss, with two crosses- wait, two? Had she actually forgiven Whitley?- and Lake Blake, overseeing the crosses for her fallen drudges. The two made brief eye contact, and Yang looked away quickly. Sweat stains, covered in dirt from digging, tear tracks on her cheeks; not how she wanted to be around Lady Blake. She continued to the castle by herself.

Closing the heavy door behind her, she was alone. The castle was still, and dark save for where sunlight filtered in through the windows. Dust motes filtered through the air, quiet and peaceful. Yang had been avoiding thinking, avoiding feeling, simply by moving forward, but not giving herself the time. Now, faced with silence, she was alone with her thoughts. 

Qrow was gone.

Neptune and Arslan were dead, both sacrificed for her.

Amber died saving Yang, for the plan that relied on Yang’s strength, both mentally and physically.

Yang slid down the door to a sit, letting out a shuddering breath. Her shoulders felt heavy, from more than just the manual labor of digging graves. Yang thought she heard the sound of quiet footsteps and looked around, expecting to see Gambol or Shroud, but there was no one there- she couldn’t help but wonder if Lady Blake had had two crosses for them, as well.

The doorknob twisted above her, and Yang turned to watch as the door butted open a fraction of an inch, only to ram into Yang’s back. Yang let out an ‘oof’, while a surprised ‘oh!’ sounded from the other side of the door. Yang scooched forward out of the door’s path, which then cautiously drifted open, letting Lady Blake slip inside.

“I’m sorry, I didn’t realize you were sitting there,” she apologized, crouching down.

“It’s fine,” Yang sniffed, looking away.

The vampiress drummed her fingers on her knee, then stood, extending a hand. “I know what you need,” she said.

“What would that be?” Yang asked warily.

“A bath,” Lady Blake wrinkled her nose with a playful smile.

Yang barked out a dry chortle of a laugh. “I don’t think Velvet wants to deal with...” she gestured to herself. “This.”

“Don’t worry, she won’t have to,” Lady Blake promised, hand still out.

Yang’s heart skipped a beat, her mind wandering to lustful places, and she took the hand, allowing Lady Blake to help her to her feet. Lady Blake smiled, leading Yang up the staircase.

“I guess she was right,” Yang muttered, discreetly sniffing her armpit when Lady Blake had turned away. A bath would be nice, she reasoned. It would wash away the stink, the dried blood and dirt, and ease the aches from her cramped muscles. Maybe, just maybe, she’d even _relax_ a bit.

Her heart sped up when the vampiress took her past the second floor landing, continuing on to the third floor. The master suite. The place where, as far as Yang had known, Lady Blake had not stepped foot in after killing Adam. From what her mother had said, she hadn’t even gone to the third floor since that night.

The pair paused before the door, and Lady Blake reached out to turn the handle. Shaking, ever so slightly. Inside, the portraits were gone, and a rug covered the stain where Adam had been slain. Lady Blake led Yang swiftly through the sitting room, back to her bedchambers.

This room was distant to Yang- she had only been in there once, when Lady Blake told her the story of her turning. The room was much the same, the giant four-poster bed in the center of the opposite wall, coffin at its foot. Lady Blake pulled Yang past the bed, to a door off to the side.

Like the room across from Yang’s guest suite, the first chamber was a simple powder room with a toilet and sink, though nicer than the ones in the guest suite. Through the far door, a washroom containing an opulent bath, round rather than square like the one the floor below, though just as grand. The ceilings curved down into an arch to frame the bath, set into what would have been a wonderful view had the windows not been boarded up. On the far side, beneath the window, a wooden tray table held various soaps and scrubbers and jars, bottles, vials, and drams for the shampoos and other bathing essentials. Lady Blake released Yang’s hand to turn the tub’s faucet, then began to work at the buttons of her mourning gown.

”Wait, why are _you_ undressing?” Yang blurted, heart threatening to pound out of her chest.

Lady Blake turned, quirking an eyebrow. “Are you going to wash all that dirt off yourself?” she asked, shedding the top. Yang’s eyes were drawn to her chest, her nipples poking against the satin of her underdress. She gulped and looked away, face flushing, and peeled her own clothing off, unsure of the vampiress’ motives. 

Yang brushed past the still-undressing Lady Blake, easing over the tub’s edge, the water warm and already past her mid-calf. Beside the faucet were the bath oils, much like the ones that Velvet would pour into Yang’s baths. Yang picked up one of the vials, labelled ‘evening rose’, removing the cap and sniffing.

“That one is nice, but this one is my favorite,” Lady Blake said from behind Yang, reaching around to grasp a different vial, breasts brushing Yang's back. Yang turned, met by the sight of Lady Blake naked, water only to her knees. “It’s called ‘Succubus’.” Yang turned and quickly capped her vial, setting it back down. 

Lady Blake held her vial out for Yang to sniff, which she did: it smelled familiar, like dark plums and musk and florals- what Lady Blake frequently smelled like. The vampiress poured some of the liquid into the faucet’s stream, foaming the water and filling the air with the husky scent, her hair drifting down over her bare shoulder. She then replaced the cap, setting out to the tray of toiletries. The vampiress carefully selected her soap, lathering it onto the brush before turning back to Yang.

“Now,” she said, turning off the faucet, “Let’s clean you up.”

“I can clean myself,” she said, reaching for the brush, but Lady Blake held it out of her reach.

“Let me do this for you,” the vampiress insisted.

Yang’s reached faltered, then dropped, and she turned around to let Lady Blake scrub her back, denying the hopes building in her chest. The vampiress carefully pushed Yang’s hair over her shoulder and out of the way, massaging circles down Yang’s back. After a few moments, Yang closed her eyes; she had to admit, it did feel good. It gave her time to ponder, as well, why Lady Blake would bother with cleaning Yang herself. Was she just giving Velvet a break? Or did she have something else in mind? She pushed the thought from her head- surely that couldn’t be the case. That time before, it had just been her hunger, right? With her back scrubbed clean, Lady Blake set down the bush and squirted a softening cleanser into her hand, then began to rub that into Yang’s hair and scalp. Yang couldn’t help but let out a small moan.

“Oh, you like that, do you?” Lady Blake teased.

Yang huffed and reached around the vampiress to grab the brush. “I didn’t ask for your help, Lady Blake,” she said, and began furiously scrubbing at the dirt caked under her nails, ignoring the heat building between her legs.

Lady Blake’s hands slowly fell into the water between them as she let out a long sigh. Yang paused in her work, looking up at the woman. “I had hoped… After all that we had been through… After you had let me... _feed_ on you, that you might…” Lady Blake looked away, her cheeks pink. “...just call me Blake.”

Yang paused, taking in the vampiress. Her silken black locks cascaded down her back and over one shoulder, the ends floating about the surface of the water. Her eyes were hooded, golden, beautiful, her lips parted in a pout, her eyebrows delicately drawn together with sadness. She did not cover herself, her lean body exposed for Yang to see, her tanned skin smooth and flawless, her nipples dark and pert, while her waist was hidden below the water line.

Yang stood in the tub, drawing the vampiress’ gaze, and she closed the distance between them. “Blake,” she whispered, testing the name, feeling the familiarity roll on her tongue.

Blake smiled, then leaned forward, drawing Yang into a kiss, wrapping her arms about Yang’s waist. Yang returned the kiss, running her hand down Blake’s back, pulling her closer, then around, exploring her body. Blake moaned into Yang’s mouth as she found the vampiress’ nipples, and Yang circled them with work-rough thumbs. She shifted her kisses, making her way down to Blake’s neck while her hands ventured lower in turn. Blake held Yang tightly, picking her legs up and wrapping them around the dhampir.

“Yang,” she sighed, bringing her hand up behind Yang’s head, running her hands through blonde hair and squeezing.

Yang gently nipped at Blake’s collarbone, her hand finding the folds between the vampiress’ legs. Yang knew how she like to be touched, and guessed with Blake, rubbing and stroking at the entrance with one hand, the other gently cupping her breast to tease the nipple, using the vampiress’ moans as a guide. Her thumb found Blake’s clit exposed, and she rubbed slow circles around it tortuously, everywhere but where the vampiress wanted. Blake gasped and rolled her hips, edging Yang on, and Yang kept exploring, inserting her first two fingers inside of the vampiress. Inside, she curved her index and middle fingers, stroking Blake’s walls until she found the spot that made the vampiress’ breath hitch, then worked at it, using the flat of her thumb to place pressure and pleasure where she needed it most.

Blake shivered, then froze, mewling out in a low cry of pleasure into Yang’s ear, her walls spasming around Yang’s fingers, her legs holding ever tight. “Yang,” Blake whispered, breathless, and Yang slowly worked her fingers down as she might with herself, kissing up to the vampiress’ ear. Blake’s breathing steadied, and she pulled herself back, legs still wrapped around the dhampir.

“And here I had planned to feed of you again, if your cycle was naught complete,” she joked.

Yang pulled her hand free, wrapping her arms about Blake’s waist, bringing her in for a deep kiss. “You still can,” she sighed into the vampiress’ lush lips.

Blake smiled deviously, and kissed Yang once on the lips before beginning to kiss her way down Yang’s body.

It would be a long time until sunset.


End file.
